To the Skies
by DarkLeviathan89
Summary: Before the summer ends, Miles Skylance hopes to start a clan with friends, and maybe even ride an airship up to the endless skies... Chapter 10: Into the Materiwood
1. Good Friends

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 1- Good Friends**

Summer had arrived in the land of Ivalice. The sun blazed majestically in the morning sky, and everyone began to feel summer's influence in one way or another. The citizens of Baguba Port were no different. Summer was the ideal season for the sailors that lived there, and for the vendors who heavily relied on tourists who came there for vacation. Summer was also the favorite season for those who rode airships.

Though many others his age were sleeping soundly, Miles Skylance was up and raring to go. He changed from his blue pajamas to a white T-shirt and dark blue shorts and ran downstairs, jumping down each few steps.

"What are you so excited about, kupo?" called a woman's voice. She was Alice Skylance, Miles' mother.

"It's summer, Mom!" replied Miles. "Isn't that enough, kupo?"

"Well, kupo, it's good to see you up and early, son, even though you never wake up this early on school days." She laughed, and Miles joined her. "Anyway, we're having eggs for breakfast. Is that alright, kupo?"

"Sounds perfect!"

"Good. But you'll have to wait for a few minutes, kupo, I'm still cooking them."

"No problem." Miles walked from the bottom of the stairs to the kitchen, a small but tidy room with a stove, table, four chairs, and on the other side, a door leading out of the house. Alice was by the stove, frying an egg on a metal pan. She was wearing a black jacket and black pants that contrasted with her white fur. On the front of the jacket was a small light blue circle sewn snugly around an intricate "S" of the same color.

"Where's dad, kupo?" Miles asked.

"Outside. He's still working on it, kupo."

"Aw, kupo, so it's not done yet?"

"Nope, and it won't be done for a week at the very least. Sorry, kupo. You can go take a look at it if you want, though."

"Kupo, I'll be right back!"

Miles quickly walked out the front door, and ran across his back yard. It took him a minute or two to run to the large, black building on the other side, since his backyard was one of the largest in Baguba. Miles' parents were both renowned machinists and had a great fascination for building airships. A large yard such as theirs was ideal for testing out their creations.

Miles looked up at the metal building. In order to accommodate airships of most sizes, the building was built to be several times larger than Miles' house. He went around to the side and knocked on the door there, hoping that his dad wasn't busy.

"Dad?" The door soon opened, and Willy Skylance walked out. He looked remarkably similar to Miles, just a little taller. Willy was also wearing a black jacket and pants identical to Alice's, and he had light brown skin like Willy.

"Morning, son." Willy was also unusual in that he was able to control himself from instinctively saying "kupo" all the time, unlike most moogles. "You're up early. Excited about not having school?"

"Of course, kupo!" Miles tried to get a good look inside the building, but Willy had shut the door when he walked outside.

"Remember, Miles, only crew members are allowed inside until construction is complete. It's for your own safety."

"Kupo. I know."

"Anyway, I have to get back to work," Willy said, wiping a sweaty hand across his forehead. "You know how the old saying goes, 'Success waits for no one.'"

Miles scratched his head in confusion. "Who said that?"

"Er, don't know," Willy replied, "but that's not what's important."

"What about breakfast, kupo?"

"Tell your mom that I'll eat later." And with that said, Miles' father went back inside to continue his hard work on his latest creation.

Back in the house, Miles ate a hardy breakfast with his mom. He happily munched on eggs, toast, and sausage, and washed it all down with some berry juice. Smiling, he finished his food easily and cleared his part of the table without protest.

As Miles began to leave the table, he asked, "Why is dad so preoccupied with building your new airship, kupo?"

Alice looked a bit surprised by the question, but answered quickly, "Kupo, he wants to make sure it's perfect."

"Oh. I see." Without question, Miles started to leave the kitchen and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going, kupo?" Alice called from the kitchen.

"I'm going to meet my friends, kupo," Miles replied as he opened the door. "See you later!"

Alice yelled back quickly, "Okay, kupo, just don't get into any trouble!"

* * *

Once outside, Miles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _How I love summer_, he thought to himself. He walked casually down the street, happily thinking about how he had no need to rush and could take as much time as he wanted. It _was_ summer, after all.

He lived near the outer edges of Baguba, but he had arranged to meet his friends in Baguba Park, which was in the center of the city. He saw only a few people outside as he walked, mostly people who were doing their morning errands or taking a morning jog. Most of the houses that Miles saw were a light, almost faded shade of green, just like his house. In his neighborhood, houses were fairly far apart, but the closer that Miles got to the heart of the city, the more packed together the houses seemed to be.

It took Miles a good ten to fifteen minutes to reach Baguba Park, a large grassy area dotted with various trees, shrubs, and flowers. There were walkways all around the park, and benches for visitors were placed around the park. Miles looked around him and saw that a few people around him were enjoying the fresh air and calmly enjoying the new day.

"You're late, Miles." Miles turned and saw his two friends waiting impatiently for him. One was a human dressed in a neat blue vest over a white shirt and blue pants. His skinny arms were folded across his chest and he had a cocky smile across his face. He had dark brown hair and eyes with a gaze that made him look confident and shrewd as he sat on one of the benches.

The bangaa next to him looked formidable and tough, contrasting to the human beside him. Wearing an outfit consisting of a shirt and baggy pants, both crimson in color, he towered over Miles and seemed to be about three times the size of the young moogle. His arms, unlike the human's, were muscular and, one would assume, so were his legs. He was standing next to the human, but didn't seem to move at all, as if he was a statue.

"Sorry, Thenardi," Miles said, "but I didn't expect you two to actually come here so early, kupo."

Thenardi chuckled. "Well, unlike a certain moogle we know, Yuwain and I like to keep our promises."

Yuwain, the stoic bangaa, merely nodded, and Miles looked taken aback. "Kupo? Just what do you mean by that?"

"I suppose you don't remember," Thenardi started to explain matter-of-factly, "that promise of yours to let us see your parents' newest airship?"

"I already explained, kupo!" Miles exclaimed, sounding frustrated, "My parents won't let anyone who isn't part of the crew to see the airship. That includes me!"

"Excuses, excuses," said Thenardi, jokingly wagging his finger at Miles.

"GUYSSS!" Yuwain intervened. The two friends turned to Yuwain quickly without saying another word. It was as if the bangaa's voice boomed with authority over his two schoolmates. "Why did you want to meet usss here, Milesss?"

"Well, kupo," Miles said as he struggled to remember the whole purpose of this little meeting. "Oh, I remember! I wanted to ask you two if you had plans for the summer, kupo."

Yuwain was the first to respond. "I wasss thinking of getting a job, but I'm not sssure."

"As for me," Thenardi explained, "I will probably continue my studies-"

"Wait," Miles interrupted, "You want to study, kupo? Over summer? I know that you're a bookworm, kupo, but-"

"Let me continue. I will probably continue my studies of magic over the summer. Very fascinating."

"I'm glad to hear it," Miles said, "because I have an idea that's better than both of yours combined, kupo."

"Well, then say it."

"Okay," Miles started excitedly. "How about we make a clan?"

Thenardi raised an eyebrow and Yuwain's eyes seemed to shine with surprise.

"Why would we do that?" Thenardi asked, curious of his friend's idea.

"Think about it, kupo. Missions at the pub usually pay hundreds of gil for each mission, right? Kupo, so we'll be able to earn some money for ourselves. Plus, kupo, with the clan wars going on, it will actually give us something to over the break."

Thenardi and Yuwain looked at each other uneasily. After a moment, they both turned back to Miles.

"Fair enough," Thenardi stated, "but there are other things to consider. For example, none of us have any battle experience, right?"

"Ahem." Miles and Thenardi looked to Yuwain, who had a glint of pride in his eyes. "My dad hasss been teaching me to use a sssword for a while now. He's been expecting me to join a clan, just like my cousssin did."

Miles turned to Thenardi, pointing a finger at his friend. "And what about you, kupo? You just told us you were learning to use magic, kupo!"

Thenardi, having thought of no other way to object, surrendered. "Fine, fine, I suppose we can make a clan."

"There's ssstill one problem," Yuwain said.

"What's that, kupo?"

"You need at least sssix people to ssstart a clan."

"Kupo? You do?" Miles, looking defeated, sat himself on a bench across from Thenardi and sulked. "That stinks."

"But all we have to do," Yuwain explained, "isss find three more people."

Miles looked up and smiled. "Of course! Kupo, why didn't I think of that?"

Thenardi joked, "I don't know. You really _should_ have thought of that."

"Very funny, kupo," and they all laughed together. Once things calmed down between the three friends, Thenardi abruptly got up.

"Sorry, but I have to leave now."

"How come, kupo?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"Who?" Miles and Yuwain asked in unison.

Thenardi, smiling slyly, simply said, "A friend."

Miles gasped and put his hand over his mouth in mock shock. "You don't mean… that you have other friends, kupo?"

Thenardi laughed and smiled, saying, "If I had the time, I would try to think of a retort to say, but I don't." The human started to walk out of the park, but not before greeting his friends goodbye.

"I'll see you two later," Thenardi said, "By the way, I'll be sure to ask her and others about the clan."

Miles and Yuwain both waved back at him and watched him leave. Once Thenardi was out of sight, Yuwain turned to the moogle and asked him, "If we are in a clan, how will you fight?"

"Kupo, I think I have an idea," Miles reassured him. "Don't worry about me."

"If you sssay so."

"So, what about you, Yuwain? Do you have any other plans for today, kupo?"

"I'm heading home. I need to ask my dad about me joining your clan."

"Okay, kupo, I'll see you later then."

"Bye, Miles." Yuwain walked away, leaving Miles sitting by himself. The young moogle looked up and saw how barely any time had passed since he woke up. Sunlight still streamed from the sky and the morning had not yet ended. He smiled to himself.

_Today is going to be a good day_.


	2. A Thorn in My Side

Author's Note- It's a miracle; I found some extra time to work on this chapter and was able to upload this much sooner than I had expected. Hopefully I'll be able to find time to write the next chapter soon. And since I forgot to post a disclaimer...

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 2- A Thorn in My Side**

By the time Miles was walking out of the park, high noon was approaching. The sun shined more and more as the few clouds from the morning seemed to disappear from sight. The moogle could feel himself getting a bit hotter as beads of sweat formed on his furry little head, but he paid no attention to it. He was dressed lightly and ready for the heat that always came with summer.

Having more than enough time to kill, Miles decided to head for the Golden Gil, another popular locale in Baguba Port. Open all day and night, this place was perfect for hearing interesting stories, news, and rumors from travelers and residents alike. It was a large, but comely building stuck in the middle of two large shopping centers. The outside looked like plain with an exterior of several beige stone blocks, but on the inside, visitors were treated to a furnished area with wooden tables and seats for clan members to use. The pub distinguished itself from the nearby buildings by hanging a large, ornate sign in the shape of a coin.

Miles entered the building with hopes of meeting a familiar face, though he knew inside that the Golden Gil was not often used as a regular hangout for teenagers. Instead, it was mostly for the members of clans and airship crews. Inside, he saw a large room with a variety of people talking about anything and everything. From the entrance, he could hear little snippets of conversations from different people in the room.

"There I was, alone with the horde of Icedrakes, when all of a sudden…"

"I fear that the price of chocobo feed will be getting higher than it already is…"

"So this judge walks into a pub…"

"Kupo? Miles, is that you?"

Miles looked at a nearby table and saw a young moogle waving at him. Unlike the majority of moogles, this one had dark brown fur and wore a teal green outfit and hat. He looked to be a few years younger than Miles, but he was known as one of the most potentially gifted machinists Baguba has ever had.

"Hey, Nono!" Miles waved back and greeted him, "How are you, kupo?"

The young engineer responded, "Kupo, I'm fine, thanks."

As Miles sat himself down by Nono, he asked, "So, kupo, what have you been up to lately?"

"Nothing much," the young engineer replied. "I've been making myself a few little gadgets, kupo, but nothing big."

Miles listened attentively, always interested in hearing about Nono's creative hobbies. "Gadgets, huh? Sounds kupo."

Nono nodded and explained, "It helps to pass the time while my brother is away. Ever since he joined a clan, kupo, he hasn't been able to visit often."

A light bulb went on in Miles' head. "Speaking of clans…"

"Kupo?"

"I'm making a clan myself and I'm looking for others to join me," Miles told him, putting on a salesman's smile. "How about it, kupo?"

Nono quickly shook his head. "Oh, no thanks, kupo. I really don't want to get involved with fighting or anything like that, kupo."

"That's a shame," Miles began, "Being in a clan doesn't only involve fighting, right, kupo?"

"Kupo, you'd be surprised." Nono took a sip from a glass of water he had on the table before continuing. "Montblanc keeps telling me about all the fighting he has done since he went into a clan. Kupo, he's always fighting one battle or another."

"Well, Montblanc's a smart moogle," Miles reassured him. "He can handle himself just fine, kupo."

"Thanks, Miles." Nono took another sip from his glass before changing the subject. "So, kupo, how is your parents' airship turning out?"

"I wouldn't know, kupo," Miles explained, "since they won't even show me."

"Oh, I remember their rule, kupo. "'Crew members only,' right?"

"Yeah." Miles shrugged. "Hey, kupo, you built your own airship, right?"

Nono shifted slightly in his seat. "W-what about it?"

"Do you think you can show me, kupo?"

The machinist looked down at his glass unhappily. "Sorry, kupo, no can do."

"Kupo, that's too bad. What happened to it?"

"It was stolen."

Miles' eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously? Kupo, that's horrible! I wish I could help."

Nono drank the last of his water and sighed. "It's alright, kupo. Montblanc said that he and Clan Nutsy will try to get it back."

"Kupo, that's good to hear." Miles remembered how proud Nono was when he had announced that he was putting the finishing touches on his airship. The little moogle's prideful voice echoed through Miles' mind. The thought of losing something that was worked so hard for simply disheartened Miles, to say the least.

"I'm sorry, Nono, but I have to go home now, kupo," Miles lied. _I better leave him alone. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it._

"It was nice seeing you again, Miles." Nono extended his small, dark hand. "Hopefully, kupo, next time we can meet at a happier time."

"Will do, kupo." Miles reached out and grabbed Nono's hand firmly. He shook it and said, "Will do."

Once out of the pub, Miles decide to honor his words and head home. Inconvenient for Miles, his home happened to be on the opposite side of the city, so Miles began immediately to walk back towards his neighborhood.

Miles now noticed more activity in Baguba Port than when he first woke up. Wandering traders had already set up their wares in high tents, and restaurants had employees giving out samples of delectable foods out by the streets. Kids were running around, playing tag, and simply enjoying what summer had to offer. The horns of ships could be heard blaring from the town's docks, and the occasional airship could be seen flying through the skies above.

Miles cut through Baguba Park and followed his way back to his house. On the way, he passed a large brown house with a sign posted at the front that read _Althorn & Co.: Machinists_. Realizing what he was passing, Miles started to run in a hurry, hoping that _she_ wouldn't see him.

He wasn't fast enough.

"Is that _you_, Miles?" A young female moogle's voice called from behind him.

Miles did not even have to turn around and look. "_Leila_."

"Kupo, I'm _so_ sorry to hear that your parents are losing money as machinists." Leila took full advantage of this unexpected meeting to mock and deride him.

"My parents are NOT losing money, kupo," Miles stated fiercely, trying to keep his temper controlled as he turned around to face Leila. She was a white skinned moogle who wore a dark green vest over a brown shirt and brown pants. The front of the vest bore a symbol resembling that on Alice and Willy's jackets; it was a fancy light green "A" inside a circle of the same color.

"Oh, sure," Leila spat, smiling wickedly, "and I suppose that that airship of yours is going to bring your whole family from the brink of bankruptcy, kupo?"

"You have it all wrong," Miles stated, trying to avoid a needless confrontation. "My parents are working their hardest, kupo, that's for sure. But they are always hard workers, kupo, no matter how much money we have."

Leila laughed scornfully, shaking her head in disbelief to Miles' words. "Strong words, kupo. But if your dad builds another failure of an airship-"

"DO NOT," Miles roared, losing his positive demeanor completely, "call my dad a failure."

"Please, kupo," Leila began, her enjoyment evident in her voice, "if your dad does to this airship what he did to the last one-"

"STOP IT!" Miles screamed.

But Leila's job was done. She simply smiled and brushed back some of the fur on her head. "Remember, Miles, my family's offer still stands." Holding her head in triumph, Leila entered her house and closed the door.

Miles simply continued walking. He simply walked with his head down as his mind wrapped itself in thoughts. _We're doing just fine_, he told himself. _Leila's wrong. The family business is going just fine. And the airship will be even better! I can't wait to fly over her house and prove it to her face._

* * *

"So, kupo, how was your day, Miles?" 

The young moogle picked up his piece of chicken and ate it silently. He was looking down at his plate throughout the meal, still thinking about Leila's words.

"Fine, kupo," he lied. Miles looked to the side of the table and saw Willy, sitting quietly and chewing inertly at his food. Like Miles, Willy also looked deep in thought, but the beads of sweat on his head were a giveaway that he was thinking about the airship.

"Mom, dad, can I ask you something, kupo?" Miles asked innocently. Both parents looked at their son, waiting for his question. "I just wanted to know, kupo, if my friends and I could start our own clan."

Alice blinked, surprised by her son's desires to become a clan member, but Willy remained impassive.

"Kupo, but Miles, you don't really want to join a clan, do you?" Alice had a sincere tone of concern in her voice. "It's a lot of fighting, kupo, and it's a lot of traveling also."

"I know," Miles replied, "but it's just for the summer anyway, kupo."

"What I want to know is," Willy began, "why do you want to be in a clan?"

"Er…" Miles thought for a moment before giving his answer. "Kupo, I figured it would be just like summer camp, only more fun."

Alice sighed, still uneasy about the thought of her son fighting in the clan wars. "Kupo, I don't know…"

"Let him."

"What?" Miles and Alice asked simultaneously.

Willy coughed and wiped his forehead. "Miles is smart. He'll know which missions are right for him and which ones are not. I trust his judgment."

"B-but," Alice started to ask, "what about-"

"Also," Willy interrupted, "did you not say that you joined a clan while in high school?"

Defeated, Alice submitted to her son's wishes. "Okay, Miles, you can join a clan. But, kupo, please be careful."

"Of course," Miles promised. As he finished his lunch, he explained, "I won't even make my clan yet, kupo. I still need three more members." He left the kitchen and walked to the front door.

"I'm going to go to Yuwain's house, kupo." Miles waved to his parents as he walked out.

"Come back for dinner, kupo!" Alice shouted, but Miles had already left.

Willy finished his meal silently and got up, ready to resume work, when he was halted by his wife's words.

"Kupo, do you really think it's a good idea for him to join a clan?"

Willy nodded. "I told you already, I trust his judgment. Besides, it might keep him from worrying about us."

"What do you mean, kupo?"

"I am sure that Miles has noticed how we are constantly losing customers nowadays, no thanks to Althorn." Even when saying the name of his main business rival, Willy seemed rather emotionless. "I don't want him to worry about us, nor do I want to keep him from enjoying his summer."

"You make it sound like we're going broke, kupo!" Alice exclaimed in a lousy attempt to keep her voice down.

"Althorn is gaining more and more customers every day," Willy stated. "We are not in deep trouble yet, but I feel that we should be at least aware of what could happen."

Alice sighed, closed her eyes, and realized the truth of her husband's words. "Kupo, I suppose you're right."

Willy nodded silently, and left through the back door, leaving Alice with a cloud of thoughts and a plate of cold chicken.

_I just hope Miles knows what he's getting into_, Alice told herself while finishing the last of her chicken. _Being in a clan is dangerous, and he better not do anything stupid. But I trust him, since he has never given me a reason to feel otherwise_.


	3. A Warrior at Heart

Author's Note- Okay, I have to admit I kind of rushed this chapter. Why? Well, today is the last day of my spring break and I wanted to finish this before I get caught up in school work again. Hopefully I'll be able to write the fourth chapter soon, as it will be the first battle scene of the story. And by the way, if and when the next chapter is uploaded, the rating will probably change from K+ to T for safety. With all that out of the way, hope you enjoy the chapter, and please leave a review!

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 3- A Warrior at Heart**

"Oh. Hello, Miles." Yuwain greeted his moogle pal as they both entered Yuwain's home. From the outside, it looked almost indistinguishable from the neighboring houses along the street, but on the inside, Yuwain's house seemed to be spotless. Various ornaments that seemed to be from exotic areas were placed in carefully selected spots in all the rooms, and most rooms had clean, white tile floors that seemed well cared for.

"Hi, Yuwain," Miles said as he looked around him. He had visited Yuwain a few times before, but he still enjoyed looking at all the decorations that Yuwain's parents had the trouble of putting around the house. "Kupo, just wanted to let you know that my parents will let me make a clan. How about you, kupo?"

Yuwain gestured for Miles to follow him, and as they walked, he explained, "My parentsss alssso agreed to let me join. Actually, I think they were wissshing for me to join a clan sssoon."

"Kupo? Really?" Miles asked as he followed his friend into a room in the corner of the house. It was a large room with a rough, stony floor and no furniture whatsoever. Instead of ornaments like in the previous rooms, weapons and armor were displayed on the walls and on various dummy-like objects in the room. It seemed to be like a miniature armory, with everything from blades to helmets and from spears to gloves.

_I don't think I would even be able to lift half of this stuff_.

"Thisss iss my father'sss collection of equipment from hisss daysss in a clan." Yuwain spoke with a slight but definite tone of pride. "He keepsss them on display in this ssshowroom."

Miles, having never seen the room before, rushed from one thing to another, tempted to swing anything that he could possibly lift. "Kupo! These are so cool!" Miles exclaimed while running over to some plate mail near the back of the room. "Does your mom have any equipment, too?"

"No. Ssshe wasss never in a clan."

"Well, what does she do now, kupo?"

Yuwain stood by a large broadsword displayed on the wall. "Ssshe isss an artisssan."

"That's really cool, kupo," Miles said, "But how come you never told me that before?"

"You never asked."

"Kupo, you got me there." Miles walked back to the entrance of the room and Yuwain followed. "Do you think we should find Thenardi and see if he got his friend to join, kupo?"

The bangaa shook his head and answered, "No, we ssshould leave him alone. He probably is ssstill talking to her anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

* * *

"So, how about it?" 

Thenardi was talking to another one of his friends from school. Amelia was a human girl of Thenardi's age from several of Thenardi's classes, though she did not know either Miles or Yuwain. She wore a summery dress of pink and had long blonde hair that went down to just beneath her shoulders.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea…" Amelia explained. "I mean, I don't know how to fight or anything."

"Me neither," Thenardi reassured her. "But still, no reason we can't join. If anything, you and I can simply do the dispatch missions together and we'll just leave the fighting to the others." He smiled, hoping that his comment would help convince her to join him.

Amelia smiled back, but was still too hesitant to make a final decision. "What I don't get is why your friend Miles wants to make a clan so badly. Most clans out there aren't made up of high-schoolers like us."

Thenardi shrugged. "I wish I knew. But nevertheless, I'd really appreciate it if you joined with me."

Amelia was caught by surprise. "You would?"

"Oh, yes," Thenardi said, "I'd hate to be stuck in a clan with just Miles and Yuwain. They'd probably drive me insane by the end of the summer!"

Amelia laughed, and Thenardi continued, "Seriously, though, I think that you would make a wonderful companion for us. You're hardworking, cooperative, and a good person to boot."

"Oh, stop it, Thenardi!"

The young man smiled charismatically. "So what do you say?"

Amelia looked down, thinking about the pros and cons of joining the clan with Thenardi. Fighting was not one thing she really looked forward to, mainly since she had no experience whatsoever.

"But isn't it dangerous? If we join a clan, then we could get hurt, or even-"

"Don't worry." Thenardi placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. Amelia's anxiety seemed to melt away at the sound of Thenardi's words. "We won't do anything dangerous, probably a dispatch mission here and there. And if we do get in a bit of a scuffle, we won't force you to fight."

"You promise?"

Thenardi's eyes gleamed with warm sincerity.

"I promise."

* * *

"Yuwain, may I ask you something, kupo?" Miles piped up. 

"What iss it?"

"Why would your parents want you to join a clan so much?"

Yuwain did not reply, but instead picked up a large sheathed sword from the wall. It was clearly a sword made for human or bangaa use; when Yuwain unsheathed it, it was revealed to be made of sturdy iron, and it was large enough that someone like Miles could never hope to lift it even with both hands. The sides of the blade were parallel until a point where both converged into a single point, like most other swords in all of Ivalice.

"Do you ssee this sssword, Miles?"

Miles nodded, his eyes curiously darting from the deadly weapon to its stoic wielder.

"My father compared himself to the sssword many times. And it iss not jussst because of his role as a clansssman."

"Kupo?" Miles asked innocently. "What do you mean?"

"He was alsso a very ssstraightforward man. At least, he was when he was my age. And do you know what changed him?"

"Let me guess, kupo. When he joined a clan, right?"

Yuwain nodded, his head steady in its movements. It seemed that the bangaa had full control of every part of his body.

"My father told me that his clan helped him to become who he isss today. It ssshaped his whole life, Miles."

Miles, genuinely fascinated by his friend's story, listened intently. _Yuwain doesn't open up like this very often. He must have been thinking about this a lot._

"In fact, if my father had never joined a clan, he would have never met my mother. And if that never happened, I would have not been born."

Miles jumped up, eager to continue the conversation with his normally silent pal. "Kupo! I think I understand! You want to join my clan to see if you can find yourself, kupo. Is that it?"

"You can sssay that." The bangaa sheathed the sword once again and put it back on its place on the wall.

"That's really deep, kupo," Miles admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Compared to that, my reasons for being in a clan seem really selfish."

"Miles," Yuwain said suddenly. "I think both you and I will find out more about ourselvesss while working and fighting together."

"What are you, a prophet?" Miles joked. When Yuwain did not laugh, Miles quickly said, "It's weird though, kupo. My parents also met each other thanks to the clan wars."

"I would think that there was another thing that brought them together."

"Kupo?"

Yuwain started to walk toward the exit, and he motioned for Miles to follow. The moogle obeyed, blindly following the towering bangaa.

"For example, my parentsss shared a love for crafting ornamentsss out of different oresss. I am guessing that your parentsss were brought together also by a shared fascination for airships?"

"Yeah, kupo," Miles replied. _He's right. My parents were always so fascinated by airships and other machinery. It makes sense that something like that would help bring them together. Even now, they continue to live their dreams of building their own airships. My dad, too, still works on his newest airship, even after…_

"What will you do now, Miles?"

"Huh?" Miles was brought back from his realm of thoughts. "I was thinking about going to the airship docks, kupo."

The airship docks were large areas in each major city of Ivalice that was designated for the landing and parking of airships. Guards from Bervenia Palace were stationed in these docks to prevent the stealing or hijacking of people's airships. The docks were not off-limits to ordinary people, but they needed special passes to board airships. The creation of these special airship docks encouraged the use of airships by clans, merchants, and travelers alike.

"I sssee," Yuwain said. "May I come with you? I have never been to the airship docksss before."

"Kupo! Of course you can!" Miles jumped up, hovered a few feet in the air, and motioned with his hand. "Just follow me!"

Yuwain nodded and followed the airborne moogle. After leaving the bangaa's house, they started to walk (or in Miles' case, fly) to the outskirts of Baguba, which is where the docks were located. Compared to the large figure that was Yuwain, Miles looked almost like a carefree fairy sidekick that was following Yuwain wherever he went.

"I think I might know what will happen if I join your clan, Miles," Yuwain stated.

"What, kupo?"

Yuwain cleared his throat loudly. "I think I may end up becoming a clansman myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Thisss clan will be active only for the summer, right?"

Miles nodded. "Yeah, kupo, that's the plan."

"I might become jussst like my father," Yuwain said, deep in thought. He almost seemed to be in a trance, and Miles was not used to Yuwain talking so much about his thoughts and feelings. "He made a living out of completing missionsss while in a clan."

"Is that what you want to do, kupo?" Miles flew to a height where he and Yuwain saw eye-to-eye. "You should live the life, kupo, that you want to live."

Yuwain stopped walking and sighed deeply. Miles stopped and saw that his pal had closed his eyes in thought.

The bangaa spoke as if he was talking to himself more than Miles. "I have no idea what I want to do. There are pathsss laid out in front of me, but all are covered in the darkness of uncertainty. It'sss like I don't have a map or anything to help me decide."

"Yuwain…" Miles wanted to help, but Yuwain continued before he could say anything else.

"Part of me wantsss to fight. I feel like I am obligated to fight. To follow the same path as my father, and to fight like my father once did. My father was a warrior, and who knowsss? Perhapsss I will become a warrior as well."

"To be perfectly honest, kupo," Miles interrupted, "I can see you becoming an accomplished warrior. You certainly have the strength and the mindset, kupo, to follow in your father's footsteps."

"Thank you, Miles."

The two stopped abruptly when they saw two groups of figures standing in the distance. They were facing each other, with the larger group approaching the smaller group.

"Come on, kupo. Let's get closer."

The two got closer to the scene and saw both sides more clearly. Both groups looked like clans; the larger one was composed of six members, each with their weapon drawn, while the smaller one had only four members. One of the six, a handsome paladin in white armor, looked like he was the leader of his respective group.

"Guardians!" The paladin yelled, drawing his sword. "Clan Everwind does not allow any clan to simply walk away from an engagement."

Both Miles and Yuwain listened intently on the paladin's words; they had already become intent on watching the confrontation play out.

An attractive viera stepped forward confidently to meet the paladin. She was a fencer with her rapier ready at her side. Her silver hair flowed freely down to her back, and her fur, like that of most vieras, was a dark shade of brown. She dressed lightly, wearing a black jacket and pants. Unlike most fencers, she held no shield of any sort, leaving one hand free in battle.

"Why are you bothering us like this?" she asked the outspoken paladin. "We told you already that we don't want to fight."

The paladin laughed and stuck his sword into the soft ground. "Well, I would say that only weak clans avoid fights. However," he glanced at the viera and her three companions, "none of you look weak. We want to see for ourselves whether or not you can stand up to Clan Everwind!"

The viera sighed and drew her rapier. "If you really want to lose that badly, then fine. But don't blame us for your foolishness."

Members from both sides readied their weapons for battle. Miles and Yuwain had hidden behind a tree in order to keep themselves hidden from the combatants. Before either of them had time to say anything, the paladin called out as loud as he could.

"_Engage!_"


	4. The Guardians

Author's Note- Here we go, everybody! My first real battle scene ever! Personally, I think it came out better than I expected, so I'm proud of myself for that. So anyway, enjoy the chapter and please leave a review!

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 4- The Guardians**

"Kupo! They're really going to fight?"

Yuwain nodded, his eyes fixated at the two opposing clans. "Yesss. The judge will be here any sssecond."

Miles turned back to the battlefield in the distance. It was mostly flat grassland except for the hill that he and Yuwain were on. There were few trees for cover, and there were no buildings in the immediate area. He also saw that there seemed to be no people nearby other than himself, Yuwain, and the two clans.

_Come to think of it_, Miles thought to himself, _I have never seen an engagement myself. I better watch closely to see what I'm getting myself into_.

* * *

"Well, is everybody ready?" Cecilia looked back and saw her three trusted companions, all drawing their weapons. 

"Kupo!" The mog knight was flying excitedly in the air, holding a blue blade and a round shield with his small hands. He then landed smoothly onto the ground right in front of the viera. "Don't worry, Lady Cecilia! I shall protect you, kupo!"

"First of all, Arthur," Cecilia addressed the enthusiastic moogle calmly, "please don't call me "Lady Cecilia." You know it doesn't suit me at all. And secondly-"

The opposing group started to draw their weapons for the engagement. Seeing this, Cecilia told Arthur, "I'm going to need you with me on the front lines."

"What about me, Cecilia?" A bangaa almost completely covered in purple armor stepped up. Plate mail covered both his upper and lower body, and it seemed that the only exposed part of him was his head. He held a long black spear point up with his right hand, and his left hand held a large black shield.

"Nero, I want you to guard Alcest." She glanced at the nu mou several feet behind her. "Make sure he can cast his magic without being interrupted."

"Understood," Nero replied, and walked to Alcest's position.

"As for you, Alcest," Cecilia explained and pointed to a moogle in Clan Everwind, "I want you to subdue that black mage as soon as possible, and then keep us alive afterward."

The dark green-robed nu mou bowed and smiled, his mace readied in his hands. "Alright, I'll try."

Cecilia nodded, a faint smile on her cool face. "I appreciate it, Alcest."

A beam of light suddenly shone down from the sky and hit the ground between the two clans. All were blinded for a short moment, and before they knew it, a figure emerged from the light.

"The judge…" Yuwain whispered to Miles, who was rubbing his eyes in response to the light.

When Miles was able to see again, he saw someone unfamiliar in the battlefield. It was a man completely covered in silver plate mail. He rode a majestic yellow chocobo that was also equipped with special chocobo plate mail. The man carried a sword, hidden in a white sheath so ornate it looked to be something that a prince or a lord would carry.

"Whoa," was all that Miles could bring himself to say. His eyes shone with the very same interest that he had for airships. Yuwain looked on, interested but not surprised in the least.

"Clan Everwind versus the Guardians!" the judge yelled out, his voice clear as a bell despite the fact that he wore a helmet that covered his whole face. "Today's laws are no items and no rapiers!"

A cocky smile appeared on the paladin's face. "Hah! Looks like you're just going to be useful for taking hits, aren't ya, little lady?"

Cecilia simply sighed and sheathed her rapier. "Well, it looks like this might take a little longer than expected. Though I suppose an extra two minutes won't hurt."

Alcest looked on with worry at his leader. _Don't put yourself in too much danger, Cecilia. You're good, but they do outnumber us six to four_.

Arthur, on the other hand, still beamed with confidence. _Lady Cecilia, such a meager law cannot stop you! We shall overcome under your leadership and skill!_

"Cecilia!" Nero called out. "Do you want me to join you at the front?"

Cecilia shook her head. "There's no need for that, Nero. I'll just make sure to be a little more careful." She looked over her opponents one by one. There was the cocky, white-armored paladin at the front. Behind him and to his sides were a human soldier and a human fighter, the former with blue armor and the latter with gray chain mail. Further off to the side was a bangaa warrior with light armor, and by his side, a moogle black mage. Last, but not least was a viera archer who stood further behind the paladin.

"Ready?" The judge looked from one side to the other, listening for any objections.

There were none.

"Begin!" The call echoed throughout the field and brought excitement in Miles' heart.

"Kupo, it's starting!" Miles whispered loudly to his friend. Yuwain, however, kept his eyes on two certain figures down in the battlefield.

"Carlos! Evan! Follow me!" the paladin yelled to the soldier and fighter by his side. "Guardians! I, Leonardo of Clan Everwind, will show you what we are truly made of!"

The three charged, swords and blades drawn. The three all looked ready to battle, and none of them were going to let the enemy get the first attack. In the distance, the black mage started to chant a spell incantation with the warrior bracing himself for an attack. The archer backed up and started to unleash a constant stream of arrows, letting them zoom through the air one by one toward Nero and Alcest.

Cecilia and Arthur ran ahead to meet the three charging combatants. Cecilia, completely unarmed, ran circles around the three from Everwind. She swiftly dashed between the three of them, dodging the enemies' slashes and thrusts. With seemingly little effort, she broke through the front line and dashed for the archer in the back.

Arthur, not far behind her, took to the sky and initiated an airborne attack. With three opponents chasing him, he flew high enough to just avoid their attacks; the three humans simply could not reach the airborne moogle. Holding his blade and shield tightly, Arthur zoomed down as fast as he could and slashed the soldier across his chest. Carlos yelled in pain as he clutched his chest, and retreated a few yards away to recover from the attack.

Alcest had been concentrating on unleashing a powerful spell, with Nero in front of him to defend him from any attackers. He had closed his eyes to concentrate, and when the time was right…

"Winds, strike my foes with deadly blades of air! _Aero!_" The sage's mace glowed green and suddenly, a small green tornado started to form around the moogle black mage as he released his own spell.

"Lightning, come forth in all your fury! _Thunder!_" As those words escaped the moogle's lips, he was captured by Alcest's winds and tossed about like a rag doll in a storm. The black mage shouted as the winds whipped his body and carried him up high into the sky. The wind disappeared, and the moogle fell limp and motionless to the ground. The bangaa who was guarding the moogle stood by him, dumbfounded by his pal's quick defeat.

The black mage did not cast his spell in vain, however. A yellow bolt of lightning rushed down from the heavens and struck Arthur as he glided in the air. The poor mog knight was sent down to the ground, where he laid unconscious. Leonardo and Evan both looked at each other and nodded, content with their fortunate stroke of luck.

"Good job, Reinal. You got him," Leonardo said to himself, before he and Evan ran headlong toward Alcest with shining blades in hand.

Cecilia had managed to sneak up behind the enemy archer while she concentrated on the other Guardians. Armed only with her physical prowess and battle experience, Cecilia was about to defeat the viera with a quick and lethal technique. She dashed at her from behind, arm extended as if she was going to run her open palm into her.

"Beth! Behind you!"

Before Cecilia's hand reached its target, Beth jumped several feet into the air in a back flip, landing gracefully behind her black-clothed opponent. In an instant, her bow was drawn and an arrow was fired, streaking through the air like an eagle. Cecilia quickly rolled down to her side, narrowly avoiding the attack from behind, and hastily stood up again to face her opponent.

"You're no ordinary fencer, are you?" the viera asked as she released another arrow. Cecilia nimbly sidestepped the shot, her eyes never straying from the skilled Beth.

"And you're no ordinary archer." Cecilia stiffened her arms and stood her ground. "But if your clan is so intent on fighting, then let's fight, not talk."

Beth quickly shot another arrow, this timed aimed at Cecilia's head. Cecilia jumped up and, at the peak of her flight, pointed her right arm down at Beth and did the unexpected.

_What? She can do that without a rapier?_ Beth stood in shock as she watched Cecilia release a large, pointed missile of purple energy at her. It came from Cecilia like an extension of her arm; the whole motion was as swift and smooth as a thrust of the rapier. It flew down toward Beth at an alarming speed, and she was surprised by the attack, which was usually performed only with a rapier in hand.

"Beth!"

Carlos had finished applying first aid to himself, and he saw the beam of light run through Beth's body. He heard her scream echo throughout the battlefield, and yet, he could only watch his comrade fall to the ground, defeated. He turned to his other side and saw Leonardo and Evan exchanging blows with Nero, the dragoon. Nero stood like a tower, defending against several attacks form the fighter and the paladin, while Alcest stood a good distance away from the chaos, focusing on his magic.

_This is my chance!_ Carlos saw that Alcest had just finished casting a white magic spell, and that he was preparing to cast another one. It was the perfect chance to get rid of the enemy spellcaster.

But Arthur had other plans.

The revived moogle rushed from behind and swung his blade, bringing it across Carlos's back. This time, the strike had enough force to push the soldier away and knocking him unconscious.

Arthur then took a quick look around the battlefield. He caught a glimpse of Alcest in the distance and smiled, for it was thanks to him that he was brought back from unconsciousness. Looking over the rest of the battlefield, Arthur saw that Cecilia was occupied with Ronal, the Everwind bangaa, and Nero was holding off Leonardo and Evan, the paladin and fighter respectively.

_Cecilia does not seem to need my help. In that case, I shall help the others!_ The mog knight excitedly ran to help his friends, while the others held out against their opponents.

Nero braced himself, planting his feet into the ground and trying to keep himself steady against the flurry of attacks from the two battlers. Spear in hand, he tried to thrust it to get some distance between them, but it failed. He spent more time blocking blows with his shield, and less time initializing an attack.

Suddenly, in the midst of the fighting, Leonardo yelled out, "I'm going after the mage!" and ran off toward Alcest. Nero saw this from the corner of his eye and used this change to his advantage.

The dragoon jumped back, dodging one of Evan's wild slashes, and inhaled deeply. Before the fighter could react, Nero let out a burst of ice from his mouth, just as a dragon breathes fire. Evan saw this and froze; both figuratively when he saw the icy torrent approaching, and literally when he became encased in a chunk of ice after the attack.

Arthur arrived after Nero's impressive attack and inquisitively eyed the ice-covered Evan on the ground. "Well done, Sir Nero! So you do not need my help, kupo?"

"No," Nero began to run the other way, yelling, "But Alcest needs usss! Hurry!"

While the two ran off, Cecilia was still busy dealing with her own opponent. She tried to get up close, but Ronal's sword was long enough for him to put a lot of distance between them.

"And don't even try to think of using that fancy trick of yoursss, lady," Ronal said tauntingly, holding his sword and shield.

Cecilia merely scowled and ran around him again, in hopes to get behind him for a swift finishing move. She failed, however, as the bangaa was quick enough to never let his back exposed. Cecilia figured that there was a chance that a strategy of hers would work. It would, however, be reckless and risky to say the least.

_Well, why not? Let's just try it and see what happens._ Cecilia then ran headlong toward Ronal, who smiled at his opportunity.

"Are you crazy, lady? Oh well, it'sss your death wish." He ran up to meet her and swung his longsword in a wide, horizontal arc. Cecilia, however, jumped in time, narrowly dodging the sword and landing gracefully behind Ronal. He turned around to swing his sword around him, but he was too late. Cecilia had swiftly struck his neck with her palm in a way that instantly knocked out the bangaa. It was a quick, clean victory for the viera, and her risk had paid off.

Now Leonardo was the last survivor of Clan Everwind. He was charging for Alcest, who was quickly casting a white magic spell. "Guard me from those who would try to bring me down! _Protect!_" An orange glow surrounded the sage, and when Leonardo came to him, his sword was repelled by the magical barrier.

"Darn you!" he shouted, as he tried to break through the barrier with his silver sword. However, Alcest knew that under the paladin's might, his Protect spell would not last for long, and if he tried to run away, Leonardo would easily catch him.

"Alcest! Hold on!" Nero's voice boomed as he approached Leonardo, Arthur close behind him. As they ran toward the enemy paladin, Nero launched himself into the air, and Arthur zoomed ahead, his blade at the ready.

"Sir Alcest! Get out of the way, kupo!"

Arthur flew and swung his blade, launching a projectile from his sword right at Leonardo. The surprised paladin was hit by Arthur's attack and as he was distracted, Nero came down from the sky and powerfully struck him down with his spear. Leonardo screamed when impaled by Nero's lance, but he fell silent a few seconds later.

All was silent for a moment. The four Guardians looked around them and saw not a single opponent standing. The judge, mounted on his armored chocobo, was watching from a safe distance away. Suddenly, the judge blew his whistle and rode to the winners of the engagement.

"Victory goes to the Guardians! Your prize is 1250 gil and six judge points." He rode to Cecilia and handed her two small, star-shaped crystals. "Two judge points for Cecilia," he told her as she opened her hands out to receive her prize. The judge also handed Cecilia a satchel that jingled as he placed it in her hands; this was the prize money from the battle. He then went to teach of the Guardians and gave them their respective number of judge points; Nero received two, Alcest earned one, and Arthur got one. After that, the judge disappeared in a flash of light, just like when he first appeared.

* * *

Miles was wide-eyed at the battle he had witnessed. The young moogle had never seen an engagement before, and he had no idea of what to expect. 

"Kupo! That was so exciting!" Miles whispered, trying to keep his voice down.

"I'm sssure it will be different when we're the ones who are fighting, Miles."

But Miles wasn't paying attention. He was still thinking about the battle that had played out in front of his eyes. "Did you see that mog knight, kupo? He was so cool! He was able to fly in battle, kupo, and avoid all of the attacks!"

"Actually," Yuwain explained, "I wasssn't watching him. I wasss paying more attention to him." He pointed to Nero, who was inspecting his equipment for any damage.

"Kupo, I see." Miles looked around and saw that all of Clan Everwind was still unconscious, and that the Guardians seemed ready to leave. "I suppose we should go now, huh, Yuwain?"

"So, how did you boys like the show?"

To their surprise, Miles and Yuwain peeked out from behind the tree and saw Cecilia calling out to them.

"The least you could do is respond when spoken to," Cecilia yelled.

The two then came out from their hiding place, as the other members of the Guardians saw the faces of those who were watching them.

"Yuwain?" Nero whispered to himself.

Alcest looked at his friend. "Do you know him?"

"Yesss," Nero responded, "If my vision issn't failing me, then that is Yuwain, my cousin."

Meanwhile, Cecilia approached the two young men and extended her right hand.

"If you don't know already," she began, "my name is Cecilia, and I'm the leader of this ragtag bunch."

"I'm Miles, kupo, and this is my friend, Yuwain." They both shook her hand, the same hand that probably fell many opponents in the past.

"Pleasure to meet you, boys." She looked at Yuwain for a second. "I believe Nero would like to talk to you now, Yuwain. You are cousins, aren't you?" Yuwain, surprised that she knew of their relation, simply nodded and ran off to see him.

"You guys were really something, kupo!" Miles told Cecilia as they walked to meet with the rest of the group.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Cecilia explained. "Each of the Guardians contributes something to the clan, which I believe is important for any clan."

"Really?"

"Definitely. One does not need to fight to help others. That's what I've learned over the years, kid."

"Then why do _you_ fight?"

Cecilia thought for a moment before speaking. "Because that's how I've decided to help people."

"But, kupo, how does that make sense?"

"It doesn't make sense to most people. But it does to me, and that's what matters."

Miles shrugged. _Fighting to help others, huh? I wish I knew what she meant by that._ He could tell that Cecilia had fought in numerous battles, while he had yet to fight in his first one. He thought that maybe, just maybe, he would understand Cecilia's words after creating his own clan and fighting his own battles.

Miles followed Cecilia to the rest of the Guardians; most of them were tired and recuperating from their battle. Alcest was sitting on the ground, his head down and his eyes closed as if he was meditating. Nero was leaning down tiredly on his spear, the point of which was stuck into the grassy turf. Arthur, showing that he had at least a bit of energy left, was walking around the area, examining each of the fallen fighters from Clan Everwind.

"What I want to know," Alcest began to say, "is why Clan Everwind was so desperate for a battle."

Nero grumbled, "They were foolisssh. Sssome clansss jussst ask for trouble in order to make a name for themselvesss."

"Nero!"

The dragoon turned his head and saw a bangaa waving at him from a distance. He saw the bangaa's white shirt and crimson, baggy pants and knew immediately who it was.

"Yuwain!"

Nero walked up to meet his caller, and the two shook hands once they came to each other.

"Yuwain," Miles called out as he and Cecilia approached, "is this your cousin?"

Yuwain put a strong hand on Nero's armored shoulder and smiled. "Yeah. Thisss is Nero. He used to live here, but he left when he joined a clan."

"Oh! Good to meet you, Nero!"

The towering dragoon shook hands with the young moogle. "Likewise. But you never told usss your name."

"My name is Miles. I'm one of Yuwain's friends."

Cecilia, walking in the center of the commotion, interrupted by saying, "If we are all introducing ourselves, then I believe two people still have to go."

"Oh?" Alcest seemed to perk up from Cecilia's comment. "You mean me?"

"Yeah. Get over here, Alcest."

The sage dusted himself off and walked up to Miles and Yuwain with an extended hand. "My name is Alcest. It's a pleasure to meet you two." As Alcest shook hands with both Miles and Yuwain, Arthur came along proudly to introduce himself as well.

"Well met, boys," the mog knight said with a prideful tone as he shook their hands. "I am Arthur of the Guardians."

"Glad to finally meet everyone in my cousin'sss clan," Yuwain stated.

"This isn't everyone," Cecilia explained. "There are a few other members, but they are out on missions."

Miles, excited about his clan-to-be, jumped up. "Kupo! Aren't you excited about our clan, Yuwain?"

"Ssso, Yuwain, you decided to join a clan?" asked Nero, and Yuwain nodded.

"We are finding more members right now, but we want to ssstart our clan sssoon."

"Be careful," Alcest warned, a concerned look on his face. "Clans aren't all fun and games, you know."

"Kupo. We know."

"You'll need someone to help you with the basics of being in a clan," Cecilia said matter-of-factly.

"Of course," Arthur started to say, "we, the Guardians, would be glad to assist you two in any way we can!"

Miles could not help but smile, overcome by this wonderful stroke of luck that he had gotten.

"Besidesss," Nero interrupted, looking at Nero, "I can't let my cousssin join a clan without sssome advice and wordsss of wisssdom, now can I?"

"Listen, you two," Cecilia began, "We'll be in town for a while, so be sure to see us once you have your clan set up."

"Really?" Miles asked, still in disbelief over the help he was offered. "Thanks, kupo!"

"Don't mention it, kid."

"Excuse me, Cecilia."

Everyone looked and saw Alcest, pointing toward the city square.

"We should go look for an inn to stay in. We might need to stay here for a while, as you know."

Cecilia nodded. "Well, you two want to come with us and chat for a bit?"

"No thanks. I'm heading off to the airship docks, kupo. Coming, Yuwain?"

"Actually, Miles, I'm going to go with them for now."

_I think I understand. Yuwain wants some time to catch up with his cousin,_ Miles thought to himself.

"Okay, Yuwain. Kupo, I'll see you later then?"

"Yesss, probably tomorrow. Goodbye for now, Miles."

"Bye, everyone! It was nice meeting you all, kupo!"

The moogle watched everyone say their goodbyes as they left to head for the busy streets of Baguba Port. After watching the battle unfold in front of him, he was more excited than ever about getting his clan started. He just _has_ to find more people to join him.

_There's just so much that I can get from becoming a clan leader,_ Miles thought to himself as he continued towards the airship docks._ There's the excitement, the adventure… and I certainly can't forget about the money._


	5. Dreamers

Author's Note- Okay, so after a lack of inspiration for this story, new ideas for different stories, college, and other distractions, here's the fifth chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review!

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 5- Dreamers**

The airship docks were filled with many airships, as the name suggests, but very few people were actually present when Miles arrived. The gigantic lot was divided into several small rectangles for smaller airships like those of traders and travelers, while there were some larger spaces for bigger airships such as those of the royal palace at Bervenia. Several armored soldiers patrolled the grounds; they looked remarkably similar to the judge that watched over the engagement between the Guardians and Clan Everwind.

From where he stood, Miles could see a group of people standing around what looked like a new, brown trading ship. Going closer, he saw that the group was made up of two moogles, one female and one male, and a bangaa. Miles hid himself by another ship so that he could listen in.

"So, kupo, is everything ready for tomorrow?"

Miles recognized the voice of the female moogle immediately.

"Yes, Leila, everything is set, kupo," the male moogle responded.

"Good." She smiled contently, looking up to her bangaa companion. "At this rate, we'll be back with our new equipment before the weekend. Isn't that great, Gavril?"

The young bangaa snorted, and looked at the other moogle with contempt. "It'sss about time. If only _sssomebody_ could have had everything ssshipped here inssstead of usss having to get it."

He shrugged, keeping a tired expression on his face. "I'm sorry, kupo, but it's not that easy to arrange this sort of deal. One of the conditions was that we had to pick up the stuff ourselves, kupo."

"Well," Gavril started to say, "it ssseems that the co-president of the Althorn Mechanist Company can't keep up with a sssimple business deal."

Leila folded her arms across her chest, and sighed. "Don't say that, kupo. I mean, he's my father, after all, and it's to be expected. After all, we _all_ know, kupo, that my mother is the true mastermind of the company, and that if anything, my father does not really live up to his title."

Leila's father, Alvin, clenched his fists tightly at hearing his own daughter belittle him. His face turned a slight shade of red, and Miles, although he was a good distance away, could see that he was fuming with anger. He said nothing, however, and forced himself to remain silent.

_Man, Leila's such an ungrateful little witch!_ Miles thought to himself, tempted to scream out at Leila and knock some sense into her.

"So that settles it, kupo," Leila announced to the group. "Tomorrow, we leave for Cyril to get the new gear. Kupo, we have to wake up early in order to get there as soon as possible. Is the okay with you, Gavril?"

Gavril nodded, and smiled as if he was hatching some scheme in his mind. "The sssooner the better."

"Are those other friends of yours, kupo, coming too?" Alvin asked, still red from their previous comments.

"Probably not," Leila responded. "Gavril here is strong enough to make up for all of them, kupo. We don't need the others."

"That's a shame," Alvin said, disappointed. "They seem like good kids, kupo. But anyway, we'll meet back here tomorrow morning at eight. Okay, kupo?"

* * *

Miles was disgusted with Leila even more after seeing her that day. He would cringe at the thought of how she treated him, but treating her own dad in that way was unacceptable. He walked away with his mind caught between bitterness and curiosity; bitterness because he now hates Leila even more than before, and curiosity because he wants to know what they are getting from Cyril.

_Maybe they're getting new airship parts? Those can be heavy enough that they need a whole airship to transport them…_

Lost in thought, the young moogle started to simply wander the airship lots. He had no plans, so to speak; he simply wandered where his little legs would bring him. It did not matter where in the airship docks he ended up, as long as it was away from _her_.

_It doesn't matter what they're getting. I'll show her! She can't insult my parents like that and expect to get away with it!_

After at least fifteen minutes of impromptu walking, Miles found himself at the top of a hill at the edge of the docks. It overlooked most of the landing zone, allowing Miles to see the dozens of airships all parked in neat rows as far as his eyes could see. It was quite a sight to behold, especially for someone as fascinated by airships as Miles.

"There sure are a lot of airships, aren't there?"  
Miles jumped, not knowing that someone was watching the airships from a short distance behind him.

"It's like all the birds have come back to their mother's nest," the same airy female voice said. "Of course, they'll have to leave the nest eventually. Such a shame."

Miles turned around and saw a young viera girl sitting on the grass. She had dark gray fur and wore a dark green shirt with matching pants. The moogle was worried that she was a part of Leila's gang at first, but was pleased to see the lack of an "A" on her clothes.

"Y-yeah, kupo," was all Miles could say in response to the viera's words. _What's she saying? I think it makes sense… kind of?_

"I can tell," the viera stood up and approached Miles as she spoke, "that you appreciate airships. Though I'm sure we appreciate them in different ways. On the one hand, I think you enjoy the technical workings of airships. The gears, the motors, and everything that will forever remain a mystery to the likes of me."

Miles was dumbfounded. Never before had the young moogle met anyone with so much to say without even introducing themselves. Nonetheless, the viera continued to talk.

"On the other hand," she began to explain as she faced toward the airships and the expanding sky, "I enjoy airships because they can take me away. Further than any chocobo or boat could ever hope to go."

She sighed, and Miles was debating whether or not he should just let her keep talking. Finally, he spoke up.

"I'm sorry, kupo, but who _are_ you?"

The viera turned and blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, I was daydreaming again. My name is Katie."

"Katie, huh?" Miles felt enlightened after hearing her name. "Say, kupo, do you go to the Baguba Academy for Gifted Students?"

"Yes!" Katie replied, smiling, "I go to the BAGS too!"

They both laughed childishly at the overused acronym. It was silly, but both felt it was a nice way to ease their awkward introductions.

"I'm Miles," said the moogle, extending his right hand. "Good to meet you, Katie!"

"Yes, I feel the same way." Katie shook his hand and sat back down on the grass, stretching her arms out and yawning, and invited her new friend to sit by her.

"So, Miles, what are you doing here? Not many people go to the airship docks unless they, you know, own an airship."

"Well, kupo," Miles began to float a small distance above the air as he talked (it was a habit of his), "I don't own an airship, but my parents do. And you were right, kupo, I love airships and I want to build them when I grow up."

"'_When I grow up_,'" Katie repeated Miles' words to herself. Miles looked puzzled to why she said that, but she merely shook her head. "I'm in a similar situation myself. I know that when I grow up," she looked toward the sky again, "I want to leave this place."

"But why, kupo?"

"Baguba is nice, but other places are calling me," she explained wistfully. "Muscadet, the city known for its overgrowth and viera population, sounds like a good place to start my travels."

"Well, that sounds like a kupo idea!" Miles explained. "But won't it have to wait until you graduate?"

"Yes," Katie sighed. "It's alright, though, I'm too young to be travelling on my own anyway. My family would have a fit."

'Heh, I understand, kupo."

Miles looked out and recognized a brown airship in the distance. Even during the blissful moments while talking to a new friend, Miles couldn't help but look at the Althorns' airship. It almost seemed haunting, as if its very existence was mocking him and his family. Luckily, Katie began to speak again, stopping Miles from brooding for too long.

"Miles, what grade are you in school?"

Miles replied, "Second year in the academy, kupo. Why?"

"Same as my sister and her friends," Katie explained. "I'm in my first year, so that's probably why I rarely see you in school."

"Kupo? You've seen me before?"

"Maybe once or twice," Katie told him. "That's why I felt like I could talk to you."

"Kupo," Miles nodded in agreement, "I hope I can see you in school more often!"

"Oh, you have to leave?"

Miles explained, "I'm sorry to leave so abruptly, kupo, but I want to see my friend back in town. He hasn't given me the answer to a very important question yet, kupo."

"If you don't mind me asking," Katie began to say, "what did you ask him?"

"Kupo, I asked him to join my clan for the summer."

"Ah!" Katie smiled at hearing Miles' plans. "That sounds nice, and it sounds much more enjoyable than the redundancy of a summer job."

Miles laughed and said, "Yeah, doesn't it, kupo?"

"Could I join?"

"Oh!" Miles was pleasantly surprised at her sudden offer. "Sure, kupo! I'd be glad to have you join!"

"I just hope my mother lets me," Katie quickly added. "My family is rather… _protective_ of me."

"Well," Miles said, "when can I find you again, kupo?"

"You can usually find me here around this time during the summer," Katie told him. "I'll probably ask Mother tonight, so tomorrow we can try to meet up."

"Okay, then, sounds like a plan, kupo!" Miles took to the air again as he waved to his viera friend. "Bye, Katie! Hope to see you again soon!"

"Bye, Miles. Glad to meet you!"

* * *

"What do you want to talk about, son?"

Miles was standing outside of his house's study room, a small, cramped space filled with piles of books on mechanics and other related topics. There was a small wooden desk at the opposite end which was covered with papers, and Willy was analyzing several of them at once. The only other things on the desk were a few colored discs that one could assume was one of Willy's knick-knacks. Miles' father looked rather busy, but his voice held the same indifferent tone that it usually did.

"I wanted to talk to you about the clan, kupo."

Willy suddenly stopped what he was doing and put his papers down.

"Son, I already told you, your mother and I give you permission."

"No," Miles explained, "I mean, I wanted to talk to you about _your_ clan, kupo."

Willy scratched his head and took a deep breath. "Okay then, what do you want to know?"

"Well," Miles pondered for a bit before answering, "I want to know about the battles you faced, kupo. Also, was Mom involved in your clan too? And what role did you play, kupo?"

"My, my, a lot of questions from you today," Willy chuckled. Miles couldn't remember the last time he heard his dad chuckle.

"I won't get into all of it today, but I was a gadgeteer in Clan Atropos. If you didn't know, gadgeteers are basically machinists in the battlefield."

Miles' eyes shone as his dad started explaining his days in a clan. Since his father rarely talked of those years, he did not dare to interrupt him.

"Gadgeteers were rare in clans back then, and if I've heard correctly, they're rare even now. I basically built my weapons and hoped they worked in battle."

He held up a colored disc from his desk and showed it to his son. The disc was a dull blue color with faded age marks all around it. "I tried to use these in battle, but, being the amateur I was back then, they often backfired in the middle of an engagement. I'd end up hindering my own team instead of helping them."

Willy sighed and placed the disc back on his desk. "Out of all the clansmen, I definitely wasn't the best in battle. However, I was friends with the clan leader, so he allowed me to stay and provide other services. In the end, I must admit that I don't regret staying in Clan Atropos for years afterward."

"Why not?" Miles asked, his curiosity at a peak.

"Well, I _did_ meet your mother during my clan days."

Miles chuckled. "Well, then I'm definitely glad you stayed in the clan, kupo."

* * *

Miles rested on his bed and looked blankly up at the ceiling, hands behind his head and elbows pointing outward. He looked to his left and saw shelves of little machines that his parents had made for him as a child. He looked to his right and saw the setting sun peeking through the window. He looked above him and saw that he was closed in, unable to reach the sky. At least, the part of the sky that was unreachable with only his little wings.

_At least I'm getting closer_, he thought. He reached to his side and grabbed a small machine off his nightstand.

It was a small, metal box about the size of a human fist. Set into the center of one of the box's faces was a large, dark blue orb. When Miles pressed the small button on the top of the machine, the orb started to glow and sparkle, like a crystal. In earlier years, this machine never failed to fascinate Miles, as he watched the orb for several minutes at a time.

A gentle knocking sound interrupted Miles' thoughts.

"Come in."

Alice walked in, still dressed in her airship gear. She looked rather tired, but Miles could tell that she was trying to hide it.

"Thenardi came by earlier, kupo," Alice stated. "He said that he wanted you to meet him, kupo, tomorrow morning at the park."

"Got it," Miles said, still in bed. "Thanks for telling me, kupo."

"And about the clan," Alice began, but Miles interrupted her.

"Don't worry, Mom, Dad and I talked about it earlier, kupo."

"That's good, kupo," she said, relieved. "Just don't overdo it, Miles. You're still a kid, after all."

"I won't, kupo," Miles responded almost immediately. "Good night, Mom."

"Good night, son."

_Don't worry, Mom. You'll see that once I make this clan, everything will be better. I'm not going to regret this. At least, I hope I won't._


	6. The Shadows of Doubt

Author's Note-Not much to say this time. This chapter is more focused on character interaction between the future clan members, and it'll flesh out some of the characters who haven't been seen as much yet. After this, I don't expect myself to be able to work on the next chapter until May once the school year ends. Nevertheless, hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review!

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 6- The Shadows of Doubt**

Gray clouds had started to form above Baguba Port. The morning air was cool and brisk, which was unusual for the start of a summer day. Some winds had started to pick up, and it seemed inevitable that rain would come that day. Knowing this, Miles put on a hooded blue jacket over his normal clothes, and ate a quick breakfast of cold cereal before leaving to meet Thenardi.

The young moogle was to meet his human friend at Baguba Park, one of Miles' favorite places in the city. He began to think about exactly _why_ Thenardi arranged to meet him rather than leaving a message for him.

_I'm sure it has to do with the clan,_ Miles thought, _but what? Maybe he can't join?_

After a fifteen minute walk in the brisk wind, Miles arrives at the park. He spotted Thenardi immediately, and Yuwain was waiting with him as well. As Miles waved to them, he realized there was someone unfamiliar with them as well.

"Kupo! Hi, Thenardi! Hi, Yuwain!" Miles called out to them and waved.

Thenardi waved back and Yuwain merely nodded.

"Glad you could make it, Miles," Thenardi said. He looked to his female companion. She was a human girl with long blonde hair and a light blue dress on. She was smiling, but at the same time, she looked somewhat uneasy.

"I'd like you to meet my friend, Amelia."

"Nice to meet you, kupo!"

Miles floated up and shook hands with the blonde-haired girl, smiling. Amelia smiled back.

"It's nice to meet you too, Miles. Thenardi told me a lot about you," Amelia explained.

"Oh, really?" Miles' curiosity was piqued. "What exactly did he say, kupo?"

"Heh, nothing bad," Thenardi explained. "Just that you were the mastermind of our little clan-to-be."

"Well, kupo, I guess you could say that," said Miles, laughing.

Thenardi looked to both Yuwain and Amelia, and then to Miles. "Miles, I wanted to let you know that both Yuwain and I were able to get permission to join your clan."

"Really? That's great!"

Thenardi continued, "And Amelia wants to join too."

Miles beamed at the fact that his clan is only two members away from completion.

"Kupo! That's wonderful! Welcome to the group, Amelia!"

"Uh… thanks?" Amelia smiled, but seemed too nervous to say anything else. Miles did not seem to notice this, however, and continued to talk.

"So that's me, Thenardi, Yuwain, and Amelia," Miles said, looking at everyone in the group. "Anyone else we can recruit, kupo?"

"'Recruit?'" Thenardi asked jokingly. "Really, Miles, this is a summertime clan, not the Ivalician army."

Miles laughed and responded, "Yeah, kupo, but you know what I mean."

"Sssorry to interrupt," Yuwain suddenly spoke, surprising everyone, especially Amelia, who jumped a bit in surprise, "but although I don't know anyone who would join our clan, my cousssin offered to give usss some money for equipment and sssupplies. Once we do have enough people, we can go sssee him."

"Even better, kupo!" Miles exclaimed, "Now all we need is two more members and we're set!"

"Actually, I think one my friends would join if I ask her."

The three guys all looked at Amelia with interest, but Thenardi in particular had a look of worry in his eyes.

"Amelia, please tell me that you're not thinking of asking Lutia into the clan, are you?"

Amelia shrugged and explained, "Well, she's a fencer, so it's not like she wouldn't be able to fight. And she told me that she's learning how to use magic as well."

Thenardi scoffed. "Let me guess. She wants to compete with me as well in magic as well as in school, right?"

"Uh, about that," Amelia began to try to calm Thenardi, "please don't mind her. She's just _very_ competitive, you know?"

"Oh, I know," Thenardi said matter-of-factly. "I'm just annoyed that she acts like she needs to be better than me at every single thing. Really, just because I get better grades than her…"

Amelia began to almost plead with Thenardi. "Really, Thenardi, quit it. Lutia's just competitive. I know her better than most people, so just take my word for it, okay?"

"Fine, fine," said Thenardi, shaking his head. "Besides, it's not up to me if Lutia can be invited to this clan anyway. Isn't that right, Miles?"

"Yeah, kupo," Miles said, hoping to avoid any tension between the future clan members. "Go ahead and invite your friend, Amelia."

"Okay, I'll ask her the next time I see her." Amelia then walked up to Miles, looking a bit concerned.

"But first, Miles, can I ask you a few questions about the clan?"

"Sure."

Amelia signaled for Miles to follow her away from the others. Miles looked puzzled but obliged nonetheless. Thenardi and Yuwain looked at each other in confusion but said nothing as Miles and Amelia walked out of hearing distance.

"What's the matter, kupo?"

"Well, first of all," Amelia took a few seconds to think of how to word her concerns, "is it okay if I have no experience in battle?"

"That's fine, kupo!" Miles responded reassuringly. "None of us have been in a clan before."

"But Thenardi can use magic. And your other friend, Yuwain, was it? He said that he can use weapons and armor."

Miles shrugged. "I'm the same, kupo. I can't use magic and I don't have the training or the stature to use heavy equipment."

Amelia still looked uneasy as she explained her plight to her future clan leader. "I just don't want to be a burden to all of you."

"Don't worry about that, kupo. We're all new to this clan business, so we won't try anything too difficult."

"That's a relief," Amelia smiled as if a heavy weight was removed from her. "Yuwain was making me worry that I shouldn't be here with you guys."

"Yuwain? What do you mean?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest," Amelia began, "he didn't seem too happy to learn that I have no combat or magic abilities. I can tell that he would rather not have me in the clan."

Miles thought this over for a moment and replied, "Well, kupo, if that's the case, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you. He's a tough guy, but I'm sure he'll understand that you're at least willing to help, kupo."

Amelia, relieved by Miles's words, smiled warmly. "Thanks, Miles."

* * *

"Thenardi, do you really think thisss isss a good idea?"

"Hmm? Sorry, Yuwain, I wasn't paying attention."

The bangaa grunted in annoyance. "I mean Amelia. What can she do for the clan, anyway?"

Thenardi sighed and looked emptily at his friend.

"She might not have the abilities that you or I have, but we can trust her, and trust is really the most important thing we can have in a clan."

"That'sss true, but that won't help usss in the battlefield."

"Perhaps. But couldn't you say the same for Miles? He can't fight either, but none of us are questioning his role in the clan."

"That'sss different!" Yuwain exclaimed. He began to sound frustrated in dealing with his human friend. "Miles isss our leader. Without him, our clan would not exist. Also, he has access to airshipsss, which could be invaluable for certain missions."

"Good point," Thenardi conceded. "Very well, Yuwain. If it means that much to you, then you can leave Amelia to me. She will be my responsibility for the time that she is in the clan."

Yuwain raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"There's no hidden meaning there, my friend. I'll do my best to help make Amelia a valuable asset for the team, even if it's not through battle."

"Fine then." The bangaa growled, as if it hurt to submit to what Thenardi was saying. "You mussst really like her if you are defending her ssso much."

Thenardi shrugged. "I'm her friend. Friends believe in each other, and I believe in her."

Yuwain knew that his friend's words were serious, and so he said nothing more.

* * *

"Okay, kupo, so I think I have a plan."

Thenardi, Yuwain, and Amelia all looked at Miles, awaiting his so-called "plan."

"There are the four of us so far. Amelia and I, kupo, both have people who we'll ask as well. I'll invite one of my friends, and Amelia will do the same."

Thenardi sighed with obvious displeasure but did not say anything. Yuwain merely nodded, taking in everything his friend had to say.

"I'll go see Lutia and ask her if she wants to join," Amelia said. "I'm sure she'll accept."

Yuwain turned to the moogle, curious of the rest of his friend's ideas. "And who are you going to ask, Miles?"

"Another friend of mine, kupo," he answered vaguely. "You guys probably don't know her."

"Fair enough."

"So that's that?" Amelia asked cheerfully, with a warm smile that contrasted with the glum weather. "If you guys don't need me here anymore, then I'll try to find Lutia and ask her about the clan."

Thenardi nodded and smiled back. "Alright then. Meet us back at the Golden Gil at noon?"

"Definitely!" Amelia waved merrily as she left the three young men.

"I ssstill think she's odd," Yuwain announced to Thenardi's dismay.

"Well, you two _are_ basically complete opposites."

"Um, guys?" Miles piped in. "I'm going to see if I can find my friend, kupo. What are you two going to do?"

"Actually, we're going to go talk to the Guardians," Thenardi said matter-of-factly. "It wouldn't hurt for us to get more information on clans, missions, and the like."

"Good idea."

"My cousssin's waiting for us, Thenardi." Yuwain said impatiently, with a slight growl in his rough voice. "We ssshould leave now."

"Alright, Yuwain, we'll go now." Thenardi gave a single wave to Miles as he and Yuwain began walking away. "Later, Miles!"

"Bye, guys!" Miles called back. But under his optimistic façade was the inescapable shadow of doubt. His mouth curled into a small frown soon after his friends were gone.

_I'm glad that the clan is going well, but I don't know if we're ready. I can only hope that everything will end up alright in the end._

_

* * *

_

When Miles arrived at the airship docks, the winds had calmed down and the sky began to clear. The weather was gradually improving, and Miles felt that he could now spend the necessary time to look for Katie. That is, if Katie was even at the airship docks at all.

Looking around the docks, Miles noticed that there were fewer airships present than there were on the day before. Also, he realized that Leila's ship was gone.

_Good, I really don't want to deal with her right now._

Miles soon found himself at the very spot where he was the day before, the one overlooking the majority of the airship port.

"Katie?"

In a stroke of luck, Miles found Katie once again. It was a familiar sight for Miles; she was simply sitting down in a meditative position, thinking about who-knows-what. From the moment they met, Katie always stood out to Miles; she seemed to be much more introspective than most people his age.

"Oh! Hello again, Miles," Katie greeted him airily. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I could ask you the same question, kupo," Miles answered jokingly.

"I wanted to come by since I'll be busy later," she explained.

"Oh, I see." Miles felt that now was the best time to ask her. "Well, did you ask your mom yet, kupo?"

"Not yet," Katie replied quickly. "I will ask them when I go back home."

Miles nodded. "Well, I don't want to rush you, kupo, so just ask them whenever you're ready."

"If I may ask one thing, Miles," Katie began, "why did you let me join your clan so easily? We just met yesterday, and I'm surprised you didn't get your close friends to join instead."

Miles sighed, reluctant to answer Katie's question. "Honestly, I already asked most of my friends. Two of them, Thenardi and Yuwain, are already in the clan. I asked my friend, Nono, but he declined, kupo. There are four of us and I need a total of six members before our clan becomes official, kupo."

"Four?" Katie was confused. "You and your two friends, right? So isn't that three?"

"Well, one of Thenardi's friends just joined today, kupo. Her name is Amelia."

Katie's ears perked up. "Amelia Beyanelle? I know her! Amelia's going to be in your clan too?"

"Is she a human girl with blonde hair?"

"Yes."

"Yup, that's her, kupo."

"Okay. In that case," Katie said with newfound energy, "I'll do my best to convince my mother to let me join your clan. After all, I can't let her hold me back forever!"

Miles was pleased with how fortune seemed to be smiling on him lately.

* * *

"So, how about it?"

Amelia was asking her friend, Lutia, a tall viera with dark fur and short silver hair. She wore black pants and a blazing red jacket over a white shirt. Anyone could tell that she had a fierce determination about her, a fiery spirit that was matched by very few, and that seemed to be in direct contrast to Amelia.

The two were outside of Lutia's house, a small, but quaint building close to the ocean. The two seemed to be opposites; Amelia was a delicate-looking girl in a summer dress, and Lutia looked like a hotheaded tomboy waiting for someone to give her a reason to hit something.

"I'm not so sure," Lutia responded. "On the one hand, it would be perfect for me to see how my fencing and magic stack up."

"Then what's the problem?"

Lutia grumbled, "On the other hand, I'd hate to have to work with Thenardi for the whole summer."

"Please, Lutia," Amelia began. "He's a great guy, and if you two weren't always arguing, then I'm sure you would get along."

"I don't argue!" Lutia became on edge, but took a small breath to calm herself down. "We're just rivals, that's all. I can't let him beat me in anything."

Amelia knew. She knew for a long time, since they were all carefree kids in elementary school. And she knew that their so-called rivalry would not end anytime soon.

"But if you're joining, I might join as well."

"Really?" Amelia's eyes glinted with hope.

"If I do, it's only because I want to help you out. I couldn't care less about the other members, and especially Thenardi."

Amelia figured that Lutia's response was at least better than an outright rejection. "Well, how about this? Once we have everyone else in the clan, you can meet them for yourself."

"That sounds like a plan," Lutia said, smiling. "Then I could see if any of them could fight."

"But, Amelia, are you sure you want to do this?" Lutia asked before Amelia could say anything. "Being in a clan isn't all fun and games, you know."

Amelia sat down on the steps, and looked up at her friend. "Yes, I'm sure. I want to show both you and Thenardi that I can hold my own in a clan. I want to show you that… that I won't be useless."

Lutia's eyes widened. "How could you say that, Amelia?! You wouldn't be useless at all!"

Amelia turned away before continuing, "I can't fight. I can't use magic. And I don't have the skills to lead. What good would I be to the two of you?"

Lutia could tell that Amelia was trying to hide her tears from her. She sat down next to her childhood friend, put a comforting arm around her, and acted as Amelia's support. Even as Amelia cried silently on her shoulder, Lutia felt like she couldn't say anything to help her.

_Don't say that, Amelia. You're much more important to us than you realize._


	7. What We Fight For

Author's Note- Alright, I know I haven't updated this in forever an a half, but I'm hoping this time I have the inspiration I need to go through with this. I have some ideas that I want to try out, and hopefully you readers will enjoy them. And I apologize if a lot of this seems like only dialogue, but that's how this point of the story is supposed to be, at least for now. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review!

Oh, and I also changed a few things in some of the previous chapters. No major plot changes or anything, just minor mistakes that I felt should be corrected.

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 7- What We Fight For**

Katie walked back inside her small home in a quiet area close to the shore. Inside was relatively dim, except for the light coming through the open windows. The walls were green like the leaves of a rainforest, and there were potted plants in several spots throughout the house. The house was decorated to be a reminder of Muscadet, the forested town full of vieras.

"Is that so, Lutia?"

Katie entered the kitchen and saw two other vieras talking. One had short silver hair and was wearing a red jacket and black pants; the other had long silver hair and wore a simple green housedress. The one in green saw Katie first; she smiled warmly and waved at her.

"Welcome home, Katie," Beth greeted her. "How was your trip?"

Katie smiled back and simply stated, "It was nice, Mother."

Lutia looked at Katie for a moment before turning back to Beth. "Yeah, Mom, I think I'm ready. This will be the perfect chance for me."

Beth looked confused. "Perfect chance for what?"

Lutia explained, her words coming out slightly quicker, "This is my chance to do well in the clan wars. I've been practicing my fencing with Katie for years, and I've been studying magic for a long time too."

Katie looked from Lutia to Beth and asked, "What's going on?"

"I want to join a clan," Lutia explained. "I was just telling Mom about how she should let me join."

"Oh, you want to join a clan too?"

Lutia and Beth looked at each other, their faces mixed with surprise and concern.

"Katie!" Beth exclaimed, sounding more frantic. "Joining a clan is dangerous. I can't let you do that yet, especially when you're so young."

"I'm only one year younger than Lutia, Mother," Katie explained with a sigh.

"I don't think you're ready yet," Lutia said flatly. "Your fencing skills need work, and you seem to always lack concentration in battle. You have that empty look in your eyes sometimes."

"I realize that I'm inexperienced, but so are you, Lutia," Katie retorted, driving her sister to a rage.

"Say that one more time, Katie!"

"I mean no offense," Katie explained quickly, "but neither of us have been in any real engagements before."

Lutia took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "What clan do you want to join anyway? You know someone who's making a clan?"

Katie smiled and said, "My friend, Miles. I met him at the airship port. Oh, and he said that Amelia will join it as well."

Lutia's eyes widened at her sudden realization.

"You're joining the same clan as me?"

Beth, however, smiled happily at the coincidence. "Oh, that works out wonderfully! If you both join the clan, then Lutia can watch over you, Katie!"

"Watch over her?" Lutia sounded almost disgusted by that suggestion. "This is a clan, Mom, not a babysitting job!"

Katie sighed as she saw the bickering unfold in front of her. She closed her eyes and started to daydream, knowing that her mother and sister would not even notice her.

"Lutia, if you want to watch over your sister and still join a clan, doesn't this fulfill both your wishes?"

Lutia grumbled under her breath before replying. "That's true, but I don't want to see Katie caught up in the clan wars. She's really delicate, you know."

"Well, yes…" Beth looked at her youngest daughter and felt the need to keep her protected. "But Katie has been saying how she wants new experiences. She's tired of having a typical everyday life, and I don't want to take such an opportunity away from her."

Lutia's eyes widened. "Are you serious, Mom?"

"Yes." Beth walked over to Katie and gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder. The young viera still had her eyes closed, but her ears were perked up from listening to the conversation.

"So I can join the clan, Mother?" Katie asked, her eyes now wide open.

"That's right." Beth turned to her eldest daughter and said, "Now both of you can watch over each other. I feel a little relieved now."

Lutia simply sighed, and turned to her sister. "Katie, don't misunderstand me. I'm glad to work with you in the same clan, but I don't want you to do anything too risky."

Katie's mouth curled into a slight smile. "Don't worry, Lutia. You watch my back, and I'll watch yours."

* * *

"Yes, Amelia, I think it's a good idea if you join the clan with Thenardi."

Arnold, Amelia's father, was eating a colorful looking salad as he talked with his daughter. Amelia looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't expect you to let me join so easily," the young woman explained. "Is it because I told you Thenardi would be joining too?"

Arnold nodded as he took a small sip from his cup of water. "That's right. Thenardi's a good kid, and I have no doubt that you will be in good hands with him. Of course, that isn't the only reason I'm letting you join."

"What else?"

"I think this will be a good experience for you, Amelia," Arnold began to explain, choosing his words carefully. "If you work with others to accomplish a goal, then that will be a good chance for you to boost your confidence. And even though I haven't been in a clan myself, my experience from working on an excavation team gave me a real sense of accomplishment. I hope this does the same for you, Amelia."

Amelia blushed slightly at her father's words; she did not want to admit that her self esteem had never been high in the first place.

"Thenardi is joining, and I think Lutia will probably join too. I know that working with my friends will be much easier than working with strangers in a clan, so I think I can do this. At least, I really hope so."

"Oh, Amelia?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"Please," Arnold began, "tell Thenardi that I want to talk to him next time he has a chance. Preferably, I'd like to see him later today."

"Um, sure, Dad." Amelia's face showed concern for the odd request. "Why?"

"I just want to ask him about the clan," Arnold said casually.

_I just hope Dad doesn't start trying to play matchmaker with us again._

_

* * *

_

The Golden Gil was fairly quiet when Thenardi and Yuwain walked in. Immediately, they saw the four Guardians sitting at a round wooden table. Cecilia was quietly drinking from a large glass mug, Arthur was chattering excitedly to an interested Alcest, and Nero was simply taking in everything around him. It was Nero who saw the two youngsters and signaled for them to join them.

"Ssso you've come." Nero's voice was deep and imposing, but neither Thenardi nor Yuwain were phased by it.

"We wanted to ask you all for advice about being in a clan." Thenardi spoke with confidence; there was no hesitance in his voice whatsoever. "I've heard about your battle with Clan Everwind, and the two of us would like any assistance you could offer."

"That's good and all, kid," Cecilia said coolly, "but I'd like to know your name first before giving you any advice. I met Yuwain already, though."

"My name is Thenardi Quilith." He extended his right hand to each of the Guardians, and they all took his hand in acceptance. "Yuwain and Miles told me about you four."

"You mean the moogle?" Alcest spoke with genuine interest. "What did he say?"

"He told me you were outnumbered four-to-six and still defeated another clan really easily."

Arthur laughed merrily, remembering the victory that the four had recently achieved. "That was quite a battle, kupo! But the Guardians won't fall so easily, kupo, even if the odds are stacked against us.

"Yuwain."

Yuwain turned to his quiet cousin. "Yesss, Nero?"

"Did you find enough people for your clan yet?"

The young bangaa shrugged. "If everyone we asked agreesss to join usss, then we will have sssix members in all."

"Good," Cecilia interrupted. "The sooner you find six members, the better. That way, you can register your clan and start doing missions."

"Assuming they all join," Thenardi began to explain, "then we can all probably meet here later today. Where do we register our clan, and is there anything we need to register?"

Cecilia pointed to the friendly man behind the counter. "The pub-master is in charge of most clan activity here, including registration and missions. It doesn't cost anything to register your clan, but you will need to have them all present at the same time for the clan to become official. Missions, however, will cost money, as well as the equipment you'll be using for battles."

"I suggest you take on easy missions at first," Alcest told Thenardi. "They are cheaper and they probably will be easier for a fledgling clan to handle."

Arthur began to hover above his chair, much to the surprise of everyone around him. "And make sure you know what roles each of you will have in battle, kupo. For example, I'm a mog knight, kupo, so I'll be in the front lines with Cecilia and Nero."

Thenardi's mouth curled into a confident smirk. "I've been practicing magic for over a year now. I know I'm going to be a mage of some sort."

Alcest raised an eyebrow. "White magic or black magic?"

"I know some of both."

"Not bad for someone of your age," the sage said in approval.

Cecilia turned to Yuwain and asked, "What about you?"

"I want to be a defender, like my father wasss." Yuwain's voice was full of powerful resolve.

Nero smiled. "Good choice, Yuwain."

Arthur sat back down in his seat. "We'll have to wait for the others then, kupo."

"If they join, that is," Alcest added.

* * *

Thenardi and Yuwain continued to talk with the Guardians, asking them about their experiences as a clan and the battles they encountered. The two continued to ask for advice as noon approached. The weather outside was turning grim, and storm clouds covered all of Baguba. More people had entered the Golden Gil, many of them wearing large coats and jackets.

"Thenardi!"

The mage turned and saw Amelia standing in the doorway, wearing an oversized brown jacket to cover her body."Glad you could make it, Amelia. Have you seen Miles or Lutia?"

"Nope," replied Amelia, shaking her head. "I told Lutia that all of you were meeting here at noon, but I didn't see her on the way here. She should be here soon though."

Amelia looked and saw all the people at Thenardi's table. There was Yuwain, who looked at her with an analyzing gaze, and there were four others who she did not recognize.

"Oh, Amelia, I'd like you to meet the Guardians." Thenardi gestured to the four clansmen sitting with him. "Cecilia, Alcest, Nero, and Arthur are all in their own clan, and they volunteered to help us."

Amelia nervously looked at the four, intimidated especially by Cecilia's quiet gaze and Nero's sternness. "Hi there," she said, trying to mask her unease.

While Amelia introduced herself to the Guardians, Thenardi asked, "Oh, did your dad allow you to join us?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Lutia also said she wanted to join, and that she would probably be able to get her mom's permission."

"Excellent. That means one more person to go." Thenardi was cheerful at how smoothly things were going, even if Lutia was likely to join them.

Several minutes later, Miles entered the pub, covered in a black jacket just like his mother's; the Skylance emblem was shown proudly on the front. He found everyone sitting together and joined them at once.

"I'm here, kupo," Miles happily announced. "Did I miss anything?"

Thenardi gave Miles a friendly nudge. "Nothing much. Amelia is officially a part of the clan now, and we're waiting on Lutia to come by here as well. Oh, and were you able to get your other friend to join?"

Miles nodded in confirmation. "She said she wants to join, kupo. If her mother lets her, then I should be able to find out next time I see her, kupo."

"That meansss that we might have everyone now," Yuwain said.

Amelia perked up after hearing the news. "Who is this friend of yours, Miles?"

"Her name is Katie, kupo," Miles replied. "She's a friend of mine I met a few days ago. She seems really nice though, kupo, and I think we can trust her."

"Katie? I have a friend named Katie, actually," said Amelia, with a smile on her face.

Thenardi signaled his clanmates-to-be to his attention; at this point, the Guardians were talking among themselves in a separate conversation. He told them, "Looks like we'll just have to wait until Lutia comes by. It doesn't look like we can do anything about Katie until Miles talks to her again. And just in case one of them chooses not to join, we need to think of other people to ask."

The others nodded their heads in approval. All they had to do was wait.

* * *

Two vieras walked into the crowded pub as rain trickled down onto the streets of Baguba. Lutia and Katie, covered from head to toe in large green raincoats, were hard to distinguish with their hoods on. The sisters, unfamiliar with the Golden Gil, looked around for Amelia. They spotted her and her long blonde hair at a table with several others, including Lutia's age-old rival.

"There they are," Lutia whispered to Katie, pointing in their direction. "That's Amelia, so I assume the rest of them are going to be in the clan with us. Though I don't know who those older people are…"

The two approached Amelia's table, removing the hoods from their heads as they walked. Everyone at the table turned and saw the sisters; Amelia was pleased to see her two friends arriving, while Thenardi was still uneasy about Lutia's involvement with the clan.

Thenardi spoke out before anyone else could open their mouths. "Lutia, I'm quite surprised you're even here right now. I figured my presence would keep you from joining this clan."

"Thenardi," Lutia replied, trying to hide any bitterness from her voice, "I am joining this clan not to start anything with you, but because my friend and my sister want to join."

"Kupo!" Miles interrupted. "Katie is your sister?"

The younger viera turned to Miles and answered, "Yes, Lutia is my sister. And it's nice to see you again, Miles."

"So does that mean you both can join?" Amelia glanced at each of the sisters, hoping to keep the conversation away from Thenardi and Lutia's never-ending conflict.

"That's right, Amelia." Lutia announced proudly as she and her sister brought chairs to the already-crowded table. "Looks like we'll be working with all of you this summer."

"Oh, we're not part of the clan, Lutia," Alcest softly clarified.

"They're from another clan, kupo," Miles explained. "As for myself, I'm the leader of this clan. My name is Miles, kupo, and it's nice to meet you!"

Lutia, surprised at Miles's openness and amiability, shook his hand. She looked around her at Miles and the rest of the people that were to be in the clan. She couldn't help but smirk; the idea of a motley group of teenagers making a clan to pass the summer days entertained her.

"Nice to meet you too, Miles. I think my sister and I should meet everyone else as well."

* * *

The town of Cyril, contrary to the port of Baguba, was bright and vibrant that afternoon. Though Cyril was a town with a high human population, it was a place for travelers of all races. It was well known for its marketplace, selling all sorts of goods and equipment, and for the monster farm run by a local beastmaster.

Leila strolled along a road in the marketplace with Gavril, her bangaa companion. She had a content smile on her face; she carried a small bag with her, one of her purchases from that day. Gavril was carrying a bag of his own, though his was much larger and heavier than Leila's. To the average eye, they looked like two teenagers simply shopping together on a nice summer day.

"Ssso when are they going to bring the ssstuff to the airssship?" Gavril asked roughly.

"They said that it would be a few hours, kupo, before they will bring the rest of the equipment."

Gavril hissed. _A few hours? We might as well have brought everything there ourselves._

Leila turned to the impatient bangaa. "Don't worry, Gavril. It won't be much longer now that you'll have a chance at testing out your strength in battle, kupo."

"Good." Gavril smiled wickedly at the thought of battle.

The two continued walking until they got to a small, relatively empty area close to the outskirts of Cyril. The airship docks were within eyeshot, but they stopped and sat down at a small, wooden table. Gavril dropped his bag on the grass, and Leila put hers on top of the table.

"I think that takes care of everything, kupo," Leila said to herself, while thinking of anything she could have forgotten. "The clan is all set up, we have everyone's equipment, kupo, and now all we have to do is go back to Baguba with all of this stuff. At least we were able to find equipment for the others here, kupo, since the stores in Baguba didn't have as much."

"The sssooner we get back, the better." Gavril looked back where the Cyril marketplace was. "I don't like thisss town."

Leila chuckled; she knew how to catch Gavril's interest easily. "You're just itching for a fight, kupo, aren't you?"

"You bet!" Gavril exclaimed, full of enthusiasm. "You want to fight Miles and hisss clan, don't you?"

"Of course, kupo. Getting into that silly moogle's head is too easy." Leila's voice reverberated with pride and confidence.

"How did you even know he wasss making a clan?"

"Simple, Gavril. I have connections, kupo. An informant told me that he was finding people to join a clan, kupo, so I decided to do the same."

Leila pointed at Gavril as she continued her explanation. "You joined without question, kupo, and so did Ronnie. As for the other three, I managed to get them to join after some… persuasion."

"We need to keep an eye on those three," grumbled Gavril. "I don't like them very much."

Leila nodded, "Remember, kupo, they all know how to fight. Richard has apparently been training in swordsmanship for years, and Violet and Flynn both know more magic than other our age, kupo. They'll be very useful to us."

"And all thisss isss just ssso you can get in Miles's way, huh?"

"Mother wants me to do what I can to stop the Skylance family from making money, kupo." Leila removed her purchase from the bag; it was a small, new gun, with a dark crimson barrel and a jet black handle. "I can assume that Miles is in a clan to make money, kupo, but I'm not going to let that happen. I'll have to beat him to every mission he starts, kupo, and then I'll beat him at his own game. And while we're at it, kupo, we can engage with them and show them which of us is superior!"

"Leila…"

"Let's go, Gavril." Leila put her gun back in the bag, and stood up to leave.

_Miles, if you want to end this once and for all, then I am ready. I'll show you the power of the Althorn family!_


	8. A Fresh Start

Author's Note- Wee, another year in between updates. I'm not gonna give excuses about why I haven't updated in so long as I do have reasons, but they're probably not very good ones. I apologize to anyone who has been sticking with this story and waiting for an update, but hopefully I will be able to do more writing this summer.

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 8- A Fresh Start**

"So, I think everyone here knows each other now, kupo," Miles said cheerfully while looking around himself. Miles's five clanmates and the four Guardians sat clustered together around the same circular table, but spirits were definitely higher since everyone began talking to each other. Only the icy Cecilia sat quietly; everyone else was chattering to someone else in the group.

"Cecilia?"

"Miles," Cecilia began, "I think you should register your clan now."

"That's right, kupo." In all the excitement, Miles almost forgot that he actually had to sign them all up to make their clan "official".

Amelia raised her hand as if she were in class. "How do we do that, Miss Cecilia?"

"Don't call me that," Cecilia responded, making Amelia turn slightly red. "Anyway, all you have to do is talk to the pub-master here. The leader signs up with at least five other members with him. Then you give them your clan name and the pub-master takes care of the rest."

"Just be aware," the viera continued, "that you will probably need at least one thousand gil to accept any decently paying mission."

Lutia raised an eyebrow. "Just where are we going to get one thousand gil from?"

"It's on me," Cecilia replied immediately, to the surprise of Miles and his friends.

"Not to sound unappreciative," Thenardi began, "but why would you do something like that? What do you have to gain from giving us money?"

"We all decided to help give you six a head start," Alcest explained. "Honestly speaking, it's not often that we see kids like you being serious about starting a clan."

Cecilia drank again from her mug; Miles counted that it was the third one she had since he got there. "We'll give you money for some basic equipment and for your first mission. After that, you're on your own."

Miles felt slightly overwhelmed by how much the Guardians were doing for him and his clan. _I can't believe how lucky we're getting this much support. It's almost too good to be true._

"So, kupo, how about we register?"

Miles and his five companions all walked toward the pub-master's counter; Cecilia joined them, presumably to advise them. Miles noted the pub-master's unusual appearance; he wore what looked like a white robe over a blue and orange shirt. He had a turban to match his robe, and he had a distinctive white beard, though he didn't look much older than other human adults Miles had seen.

"Ah, Cecilia," the pub-master greeted her. "New recruits? They're getting younger and younger, aren't they? They look like they're barely out of high school."

Cecilia simply ignored the students' annoyed looks. "They aren't joining my clan, Phil. They're making their own clan."

"Okay then." Phil began to take out a pen and some papers with writing on it. "In that case, I'll need to see their leader."

"That's me, kupo!" Miles hovered up to the top of the counter so that he could talk to Phil. The pub-master smiled and handed the moogle a small pile of paperwork. "You and your clan members need to read through these and sign at the bottom. I'm sure by forming a clan you all know what you're getting yourself into, but this is just for precautionary purposes."

As the six read through their forms, Phil motioned for Cecilia to talk to him. The viera came forward, and Phil leaned forward on the counter to keep their conversation quiet.

"So what's the deal, Cecilia? I've never seen you helping other clans like this before."

"Remember, I've been trying to help other clans for the past year or two. You're right though; this is the first time I ever offered my help to a clan that's just starting out."

Phil stroked his bearded chin in thought. "I see. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting soft. What's next, settling down and raising a family?"

Cecilia answered Phil with an icy glare. "Don't screw around with me."

"Heh, sorry," Phil apologized quickly, backing off a bit. "It's just quite a change from before. Now you're working with kids who look like they could be your daughters."

Cecilia turned and noticed that Phil was pointing to the two viera sisters, Lutia and Katie. "I'm not _that_ old."

"I never said you were. I just happen to think that they remind me a bit of you."

Over time, the six teenagers handed in their signed forms, one by one. Phil looked over each one and after filling some other forms of his own, he took out one more paper for Miles.

"Almost done," Phil told them. "Just give me the name of your clan and you'll be ready to go."

"Clan name, huh?" Miles looked mildly perplexed. "I completely forgot to think of one, kupo."

"I think I have an idea for one," Katie happily announced.

Her clanmates all turned to her, waiting to hear her suggestion.

"Clan Gully!"

Miles and Thenardi covered their mouths to hold back their laughter, and Yuwain simply hung his head down. Katie looked frustrated at her seemingly clever idea being shot down so quickly.

"Katie," Lutia addressed her calmly, "it's just not that good of a clan name. Really, who would want to be part of a group called Clan Gully?"

Amelia asked, "Isn't a gully a bird?"

"A _gull_ isss a bird," Yuwain corrected her. "Like the ssseagulls which we sssee all the time around here."

"Oh. My mistake," said Amelia, her voice trailing off.

"It's an understandable mistake, Amelia," Thenardi reassured her.

Katie sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. It sounded good to me at the time."

"Well, what about Clan Scarlet?" Lutia suggested.

Thenardi scoffed. "I don't think Clan Scarlet would do a good job at representing us at all, Lutia."

"Well, what would _you_ suggest then?"

"The Azure Knights. I'd say it sounds much better than Clan Scarlet."

Lutia just turned away in annoyance. "Says you."

"What about "Clan Aethra?"

Miles saw his friends turn to him when he made his suggestion. "That was the name of my dad's previous airship, kupo. I thought it would also fit with our clan."

"I like it. Good choice, Miles," Thenardi said. Yuwain nodded in agreement.

"I still like "Clan Scarlet" better," Lutia began, "but this is Miles' clan, so I guess Clan Aethra is fine."

Amelia smiled. "It's a nice name, and I agree that Miles should be the one who decides the name in the end."

"I still like "Clan Gully," Katie whispered to herself. She turned and told the others, "Well, I'm fine with this name though. What's in a name, anyway?"

Miles hovered up to Phil, a wide grin on his face. "We have our clan name, kupo."

"Alright then," the pubkeeper said as he pushed another form to Miles. "Just enter the name here and sign at the bottom, and you'll be ready to go."

The moogle signed the final form excitedly and handed it back to the pub-keeper.

"Congratulations, kid. You and your friends are now officially a clan."

Miles jumped up in excitement as the rest of his friends showed various looks of relief and happiness. Cecilia and the Guardians could not help but watch the youngsters in their moment of joy.

"Now you all need to get equipment," Cecilia suddenly said, dispelling the great mood that the newly-registered Clan Aethra had. "We can stop by the nearest equipment shop and start from there. If all of you know what jobs you want to take up, then this will be a lot easier."

* * *

Clan Aethra and the Guardians all arrived at Warehouse Alley Armor, the largest armory in all of Baguba Port, as the rain started to subside. They entered and saw rows upon rows of weapons, more equipment than any of the teenagers had seen before. The shop vastly surpassed Yuwain's father's collection of weapons, leaving the bangaa slightly in awe.

"Before we can get you anything," Cecilia began, "we need to know what roles you will all play in battle."

"I know I'm going to be a mage, so equipment won't be as important for me," Thenardi said, his voice loud and confident.

Alcest shook his head. "That's not necessarily true. Mages have equipment that can augment their magical abilities. You should never count yourself out when buying equipment, my boy."

"Me and my sister are both fencers," Lutia explained to Cecilia. "I know magic too, so I can act as a mage, but Katie will focus more on her fencing in battle."

Katie gave her sister a quick glare. "I can decide for myself, thank you very much."

Ignoring Katie, Lutia continued, "I think we should get her a shield too. She's a little fragile, you know."

"Oh? Fragile?"

Arthur laughed as he watched the sisters quarrel and argue. "Reminds me of me and my big brother, kupo!"

Nero turned to Yuwain and put his hand on his shoulder. "You're going to take after your father, aren't you?"

"That'ssss right. I already have armor and a ssssword at home, sssso I don't need anything from here."

Cecilia looked at Miles and Amelia, who were both still looking at the vast amount of weaponry available. "What will you two decide to be?"

"I'll be a gunner, kupo," Miles replied. "My mom was a gunner back when she was in a clan too. I've practiced them with her, kupo, so I think this will work."

"I…"

Amelia blushed as Cecilia and Miles turned to her. "I don't know. I've never really used any weapons before, and I'm not sure what I'd be good with."

"We'll think of something later," Cecilia interrupted. "Right now, it looks like your friends are already getting outfitted."

Cecilia walked away, leaving Miles and Amelia alone by the entrance. Miles glanced at Amelia, who still looked uneasy.

"Don't worry, kupo, we can think of something for you."

Amelia turned slightly red. "Y-yeah, you're right, Miles."

"Honestly, kupo, I don't have any experience with weapons either. I'm as new to this as you are."

"But didn't you say you know how to use guns?"

"I lied, kupo."

To Amelia, Miles suddenly lost his cheerfulness, now replaced by a sense of pensiveness. The moogle smiled, but it seemed to hide more than Amelia realized.

"Don't tell the others about this, but I want to be able to fight with the rest of them, kupo. I've seen my mom use guns before, and I learned about how they work, kupo, but I never actually used them before. I'm gonna learn, kupo, so that I can fight with the others. All of them know how to use weapons or magic, but I can't. As leader of this clan, kupo, I need to be able to fight with everyone."

"You're just like me…"

"Kupo… that's why I feel that I can tell you this."

Amelia smiled, happy that she can relate to her new friend and clan leader. "Thanks, Miles. It looks like both of us have a lot of work to do if we want to catch up with everyone else."

"That we do, kupo."

* * *

About an hour later, the fledgling clan had already made several purchases. Thenardi was wearing a neat blue robe, one with white trimmings along the edges and long sleeves. It looked like the customary robe of a blue mage, but this one was tailored to be better for mobility, as it was loose but not cumbersome to wear.

"I think this will do," Thenardi said, swinging a yellow tipped rod around. "Alcest was right. I think my mind is already clearer just by holding this rod... the Thunder Rod, was it?"

Alcest nodded and took the rod from him. "That's right. These runes on the head enhance the spellcaster's lightning magic. Just remember, Thenardi, tools may enhance your magic, but magic ultimately comes from you, and not the tools."

Thenardi couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Thanks. I'll remember that."

The viera sisters walked together toward Thenardi, happily showing off their new equipment. Lutia wore a long red coat over a black and gold shirt and black pants; like Thenardi's outfit, Lutia's clothes favored maneuverability over defense. She carried a blood red rapier with her, and its sheath dangled from her right side.

Katie had no coat on, but her forest green shirt looked similar to that of her sister. Her dark green pants were perfectly fit for running, and she got new gray running shoes as well. Katie held a sleek, silver rapier at her side, one that looked thin but remarkably sharp. She also had a small, round shield; one that was easy to carry but did not cover a very large area.

"You two certainly look ready for battle," Thenardi commented after seeing the results of their shopping spree. "But aren't you both dressed a little lightly for fighting up close?"

Lutia responded matter-of-factly, "You can't see it, but we both have armor padding underneath our clothes, so that'll help."

"Hmph. I don't think anyone would want to see _that_."

"What was that?"

Yuwain sighed and pulled the fuming viera away before she could start a fight.

"Thenardi, Lutia, let'ssss keep the fighting for when we engage againsssst other clanssss."

"Did you buy anything, Yuwain?" Arthur asked, realizing that Yuwain was wearing nothing new. "I thought you would need to buy a lot of armor, kupo."

"No, I will use my father'sss equipment. I don't think I need anything from here."

"Kupo. If you say so."

Katie look around at her group; she, Lutia, and Thenardi were all fully equipped, but Miles and Amelia were nowhere to be found. She saw that Cecilia was gone as well, though the rest of the Guardians were present.

"Where did Amelia and Miles go? Are they still shopping?"

As if on cue, Miles ran up to the others with a slight grin on his face. He held two guns in his hands, both of which had sleek silver barrels and gray handles. Lutia and Katie both looked curiously at Miles' new weapons, having never seen guns before.

"Guns, eh?" Thenardi asked Miles, crossing his arms. "No surprise there."

"Well, you know me, kupo."

Katie walked up and looked at the weapon closely. "It's rather shiny. May I see it?"

Miles handed the gun casually to her. "Go ahead, kupo. It's not loaded anyway."

"Let me see it too." Lutia grabbed the other gun from Miles' hands and started to examine the firearm. She rotated it, holding it up in different angles and eying all its different mechanical components before looking at Miles in confusion.

"How does this thing even work?"

"Well, kupo…"

Before he could go into detail about anything, the last member of Clan Aethra nervously walked up to all of them. Amelia had put on a leather hunter's jacket over her pink shirt, and she wore beige pants and leather boots. Another noticeable addition was the purple bow she held, with the quiver of arrows strapped over her shoulder.

"Good choice, Amelia," Lutia told her. Katie and Thenardi both nodded in agreement, while Yuwain remained expressionless.

Miles told her, "I knew you would figure something out, kupo! But what made you decide to become an archer?"

"I talked to Cecilia about it. She really helped me out, and encouraged me to try archery. Hopefully I can get the hang of it quickly."

Thenardi smiled and said, "You'll do fine, Amelia. I have no doubt about that."

"Everyone settled?"

All turned to see Cecilia approaching, with the same serious expression she had since meeting her in the Golden Gil.

"Looks like it, kupo," Arthur said. "We'll pay for their stuff and everything should be set, kupo."

Yuwain looked at the rest of his clanmates, and then at the Guardians. He quietly sighed; to him, there was a world of difference between the two groups. One was an experienced group of warriors, people used to fighting for their lives when the odds were against them. The other was a band of school kids looking to make some pocket change during their summer vacation.

_Is this really a good idea? None of them seem ready for battle, even after getting new equipment. It seems like they think of this as a game, but the clan wars are much, much more._

_

* * *

_

The rain had stopped and the clouds had parted once the two clans left the store with all the new equipment. The Guardians were ready to head back to their inn while Clan Aethra was still excited with all the new gear they were able to get. Arthur hovered cheerfully in the air as he waved to the young clan.

"Farewell, friends! 'Til next time we meet, kupo!"

"Til next time," Thenardi replied, "and thank you for everything. The guidance, the advice-"

"And the money too, right?" Nero asked with a laugh.

"Haha, but of course!"

"We'll get our first mission in a few days, kupo," Miles explained. "We're excited, kupo, but we won't go for anything too dangerous or risky."

"And I'll make sssure of that," Yuwain added.

Alcest looked over all of Clan Aethra's members, impressed by the difference a change in equipment made. "Good to know you youngsters are better prepared now. I wish you all the best of luck for your endeavors as a clan."

"Wait a minute," Lutia began to say. "You make it sound like we're not going to see you again."

"Well, we have some business to take care of the next few days," Alcest explained quickly. "We'll still be in town, but we have other missions to take care of, so you might not see most of us for a while."

Katie looked confused. "Most of us?"

"Thanks again for everything," Amelia told the Guardians. "And thanks for helping me in the store, Cecilia."

Cecelia merely nodded, looking straight back at the human girl. Amelia could have sworn she saw a faint smile formed by Cecelia's lips; she smiled as well, knowing that the days to come could be a big turning point for her.

_I'm not going to hold anyone back anymore._


	9. Wishes, Hopes, and Fears

Author's Note- Thanks to those who remember this story and continue to read it even after my lack of updates. If anyone's wondering about when the clan's first mission will start, it will happen soon. For now, it'll be more character development, but hopefully you can bare with me here.

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 9- Wishes, Hopes, and Fears**

"So, kupo, your clan is all set?"

"That's right, Nono." Miles took another sip of water as he continued his story. "We registered our clan yesterday, kupo, and we also got a bunch of new equipment. In three days we're all going to head to our first mission."

"A mission already, kupo? What will you have to do?"

"Nothing big. We're helping out someone search for materite in the Materiwood, kupo."

Nono nodded, listening intently to every word Miles said. "Kupo, that doesn't sound too bad. And the Materiwood is only a few miles away from the port, isn't it?"

"That's right, kupo. And the best part is, the Guardians helped us find that mission, so it's sure to be something that we could do."

The Golden Gil was packed with many clansmen taking shelter from the rain outside. A strong musk hung over the entire place, but that was to be expected when people from different areas came together in one place. Miles and Nono were used to the scents of the pub, and they continued their conversation without being bothered.

"I'm sure you can do it, kupo," Nono told his friend. "You're strong, Miles. A lot stronger than someone like me."

Miles laughed wryly. "I wish, kupo. Compared to someone like Yuwain, I'm not really that strong at all."

"I don't mean physical strength," Nono explained. "I just wouldn't have the guts to make a clan, kupo. My brother, on the other hand, is travelling all around the world right now, kupo. I think that between the two of us, he has all the courage."

Miles chuckled. "Kupo. You're right about Montblanc; I can't remember the last time I saw him afraid of anything."

"That's my brother for you, kupo," Nono continued. "But please don't worry, Miles. Knowing you, you'll find ways to do a lot for your clan."

"I hope so."

The two moogles stayed silent for several minutes. Nono ordered another glass of water, while Miles played with his empty glass. Miles looked around at the other customers in the pub; many of them were big, armored figures with sharpened weapons at their side. Even some of his fellow moogles within eyeshot wielded knives, blades, and other dangerous looking arms. The mages, while not as physically imposing as the warriors, exuded confidence; their grand, flowing robes made them look powerful and wise.

"Look at the people here, kupo." Miles said, pointing out different individuals in the room. "A lot of them must have been clansmen for years. I bet a lot of them have strength, skill, and experience, kupo, unlike me. But don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be pessimistic."

"What do you mean?"

The clan leader smiled. "Simple, kupo. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, and I'm no exception."

* * *

"Your form is lacking, Katie."

Katie sighed as she walked to pick up her sword; Lutia had disarmed her just seconds before.

Lutia continued, "Even though you're fighting with a shield, you left yourself vulnerable in a lot of places. You have to be more careful when you try to attack me."

"I don't like taking the offensive," Katie admitted. "It's a lot easier for me when I have to defend, if that makes sense."

"I understand, but you can only do so much if people start ganging up on you," Lutia explained. "I've heard that clans don't typically do that though, but I'm sure there are clans out there who fight dirty."

"Where did you hear that from?"

Lutia began to inspect her sword for any imperfections. "I talked to Arthur while we were in the armory. He told me that there is a sort of code of honor, an unwritten rule between most fighting clans, in that no more than two or three people may attack the same opponent. That is, of course, unless there is only one opponent left."

Katie wiped off the dirt from her own sword as she "I see… that's rather noble of clans."

"I wouldn't exactly call most clans noble."

"Hmm?" Katie turned in curiosity. "Why not?"

"Most of them are no better than mercenaries," Lutia said bitterly. "Fighters who seem to have nothing better to do than beat each other senseless. I bet most of them never even went to school."

Sensing her sister's harsh tone, Katie responded, "If that's what you think of most clans, then why are you joining Miles' clan?"

Lutia turned slightly red at the question. "Because I want to watch over you. I'm your big sister, after all, and I can't just let you go around all of Ivalice without me."

"I see," Katie said, seemingly unmoved by her sister's words. "Well, Lutia, I'll be honest. I thought you were in it for the battles. You're always so competitive in fencing, after all."

The red-clad viera shrugged. "It's fun. And who _doesn't_ love the satisfaction of beating someone in a duel?"

Katie raised her hand. "Fencing is fun, but sometimes I feel bad if I beat others. Especially when they look like they tried really, really hard."

"But when you win," Lutia argued, "that's a sign of hard work and determination. And I know that both of us work really hard to do well in fencing."

"Well, of course! And not just in fencing, but also in school. I know you study really hard for your classes."

Lutia chuckled, happily taking in her sister's compliments. "That's right. I'm one of the best students in my grade, and that didn't come from sitting around doing nothing all the time."

"You're up there with Thenardi, right?"

Lutia's smile dropped. "That's right. I'm one spot under Thenardi, but next year will change that."

"One spot under Thenardi, huh? What's your rank?"

"Second."

"Oh…"

The two quietly walked back to their home, which was a short distance away from where they sparred. They enjoyed the sun and the sea breeze, a direct contrast from the day they last saw their clanmates. Tired and sore from their training, the sisters began to feel at ease as they approached their modest home.

Inside, Lutia immediately fetched herself some water and gulped it down like an animal at the watering hole. Katie simply sat by the window and stared out, at the view; they could see the ocean from their hilltop house. It wasn't until Lutia downed a few glasses of water that she noticed Katie's silence.

"What'cha looking at, Katie?"

Katie answered Lutia's question with a question of her own. "Have you ever wondered what's on the other side of the ocean?"

Lutia looked out at the window and saw the blue waves gently rolling across. "I have, but I don't think about it too much. It's not like we'll be crossing the ocean anytime soon."

"It would be nice though, wouldn't it?" Katie asked Lutia with wide eyes. "Miles can bring us and the clan on his family's airships. We can soar among the birds and sleep among the skies. It sounds like such a fantasy!"

"Hmm, so that's why you're so excited about joining his clan." Lutia looked sternly at her little sister before continuing. "Katie, don't let your daydreaming get the best of you. I know you want to go see faraway places, but joining a clan just for that seems a little immature."

"Immature," Katie repeated. "You're right, I'm not very mature. But maybe fighting in a clan will help change that."

Lutia stayed quiet, knowing better than to try change Katie's mind once it's set on something; fighting against her would be a battle that even Lutia had no chance at winning.

"Hey, Katie," Lutia said suddenly. "I know you want to see the whole world someday. Just remember, the rest of the world can be cruel and heartless to people like us."

"I understand. That's one reason my desire to travel is so strong. There are some things that only our own eyes can tell us; no book can ever teach us those truths."

Lutia crossed her arms with a sigh of frustration. "Oh, stop getting all philosophical on me, will you?"

Katie remained silent and turned back to her view of the ocean. Lutia left quickly and silently, leaving Katie back in her own fantasies and dreams.

"There's more to life than being the best, Lutia."

Her words fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Thenardi knocked on the wooden door impatiently. He had forgotten to visit Amelia's father, Arnold, the previous day and he wanted to keep his promise to Amelia.

_He should be here. He's usually at home during the afternoons._

"I'll be waiting out here, okay, Thenardi?" Yuwain's voice came to a low, disgruntled growl; the bangaa wondered why Thenardi had dragged him all the way to Amelia's house when he had no business there.

Thenardi shrugged off his friend's discontent. "Sure, sure. This shouldn't take too long."

Arnold, a rather frail looking man with wisps of blonde hair on his head, opened the door, letting in rays of sunlight to an otherwise dark foyer.

"Glad you could make it," Arnold said with a smile. "I see that Amelia gave you the message."

Thenardi nodded and shook his hand. "Yes, Mr. Beyanelle. She said you wanted to talk to me."

"That's correct. Please come in."

Thenardi was walking into the house when Arnold noticed the grumpy bangaa waiting in the distance, watching Thenardi with steely eyes.

"Does your friend want to come in too?"

"Yuwain? Nah, he said he'll wait out there until I'm done."

Arnold led Thenardi into the kitchen, which, similar to the rest of the house, was very neat and orderly; Thenardi rarely saw any imperfections on the floors, table, or any of the silverware. An aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air and pleasured Thenardi's sense of smell.

"Would you like some bread? I just baked it this morning."

"No thanks," Thenardi replied as he took a seat.

Arnold grabbed a slice for himself and sat down across from Thenardi. Holding the bread in his hand, Arnold looked at Thenardi with concern.

"I'll be frank with you," he explained, "I'm worried about Amelia being in the clan."

_Thought so,_ Thenardi thought, not losing a single moment of eye contact.

"I don't know how to put this, but, you see, Amelia's never been very confrontational. She doesn't like getting in fights, and she usually tries to get along with everyone. When she told me how much she wanted to join this clan of yours, I couldn't believe my ears. This is something that I would never expect my daughter to do."

_It surprised me too, but I'm glad she decided to join us._

"But then I thought about it, and I actually thought it would be a good idea."

Thenardi's eyebrow twitched.

"After she told me that you would be in the clan too, I felt a weight off my shoulders. I know that I can trust you to keep her safe."

_I don't like where this conversation is headed._

"And I want her to gain confidence in herself. She seems so depressed sometimes, and she has no confidence in herself, but I never know how to help her. I'm her father, I hate seeing her like that and I hate being unable to do anything for her. But you, on the other hand, I know you can help her."

Thenardi knew he had to jump in now. "Mr. Beyanelle, I understand what you're saying about Amelia. But I don't understand why you think I can help her more than you can."

"It seems to me like she's joining the clan to help you. She wants you to think that she's useful and that she's worth something to you. That's what I gather from how she's acted lately."

Thenardi's eyes dropped to the ground, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry if I seem pushy, but I just want my daughter to be happy. And I know you want the same thing."

The young man looked straight at Arnold, their eyes meeting and unblinking.

"I do want Amelia to be happy. The poor girl seems so unhappy all the time, even when I try my best to lift her spirits." Thenardi cleared his throat before continuing, "Just don't expect too much from me. You're overestimating my value in a situation like this."

"Fine," Arnold conceded with a heavy sigh. His eyes sunk, and there was a genuine loss of hope in his tone. "Maybe I'm putting too much faith in you, Thenardi."

Thenardi stood up from his chair and headed for the door. "I'll try to help her. I'm not going to make any promises though. I don't make promises that I can't guarantee."

* * *

Yuwain was still standing tall and upright as Thenardi came into sight. The bangaa looked just as impatient as when Thenardi has left him.

"That took a while," Yuwain began, "What exactly did you talk to him about?"

"Oh, I just had to talk to him about Amelia. Nothing major," Thenardi replied nonchalantly.

Yuwain scoffed. "Amelia, huh? I'm sssorry, but I don't really like her. I have a feeling that if we keep her in the clan, it'll be like babysitting a little girl."

"I figured. When you two met, I could already tell that you didn't like her. But bare with me here, Yuwain."

"If she wants to join, then it'sss up to Miles. I just don't want her to hold usss down."

"Think of it this way, Yuwain," Thenardi explained. "All of us are going into this with no clan experience. And that includes you."

Yuwain scowled as his friend continued.

"I'm not trying to put any of us down, but that's just a fact of the matter. Amelia's not even the only one who doesn't know how to fight. Just look at Miles, he's probably the same as Amelia in that regard."

"Miles knowsss how to use a gun."

"I'm pretty sure he lied about that. I've never seen him use a real gun before, and knowing him, he would have shown us. He always likes to show us what he learns from his parents."

Yuwain did realize that it was odd for Miles to hide such a detail from them.

"You might be right," Yuwain admitted, "but that doesn't change the fact that at least I've known Miles for yearsss. I can't sssay the same about Amelia."

"But _I_ can. And I can also say confidently that there aren't many people out there who are more sincere and well-meaning than her."

Yuwain let out a quiet groan; he felt like he was just arguing with a wall at this point.

"Fine then. Just don't let her get in my way."

* * *

"Thanks again for doing this, Cecilia."

The viera assassin remained silent as she set up another small target on a tree trunk. Amelia looked over the row of trees, each of which had a wooden target hammered in it at a different height. This was part of her training to become a true archer.

"You realize," Cecilia began, "that archery is not something you can get good at overnight. It might take you months before you can be called decent. In your case, it might take you years."

Amelia looked down to her shoes; it was obvious that Cecilia did not have high hopes for her.

"Then why are you helping me? I don't want to waste your time, especially since you already helped our clan so much."

Cecilia finished setting up the last target and turned to Amelia. "You remind me of one of my friends from years ago."

"How so?"

"He was shy, cautious, and he slowed us down in battle all the time."

Amelia felt another pang in her heart; Cecilia seemed to take no notice to her harming Amelia's already fragile morale.

"But he always wanted to help us, and I respected that about him. We found someone who was able to train him, and eventually he was able to keep up with the rest of us. Today, he is invaluable to his allies and a major threat to his enemies."

"Do you think he would pose a threat to you, if you were to face him alone in battle?"

Cecilia was surprised by Amelia's inquiry, but answered with a straight face, "Probably not. But then again, he works best with others."

"Who is this guy? Could he help me too?" Amelia asked. The viera did not respond; she simply drew her bow.

"Today, I'll show you how to properly hold a bow. If we're lucky, maybe I can show you how to notch an arrow into the bow."

"What about how to shoot the arrow?"

Cecilia shrugged. "Hopefully we'll get to that before your first mission."

Amelia sighed; she knew this was just the beginning of a long, winding road.

* * *

Miles entered his house only to see his mother glaring at him right as he stepped in.

"When did you get these guns?"Alice asked sternly, holding up Miles' two silver guns. Miles started to shiver from fear, but it was far too late for him to make a run for it.

"I got them yesterday, kupo. Me and my friends all went to buy equipment at the shop, kupo, and I decided that I wanted to use two guns just like you did."

Alice's eyes shone when she heard that Miles wanted to take after her, but her motherly instincts took over once again. "How did you even afford these?"

"We became friends with another clan, kupo, and they bought our equipment for us. They also helped us to find our first mission, one that wouldn't be too difficult for us to handle, kupo."

"You already have a mission?" Alice asked loudly. The lack of "kupo" in her sentences was a sign that she was both worried and upset.

"Y-yes, kupo. It's in three days. We're going to the Materiwood to help someone search for materite, kupo. That's all."

Holding her hand to her forehead, Alice sat down on the nearest couch. Miles, concerned for how his mother was now acting, followed her and sat by her side.

"I was hoping," she explained, "that this was just some sort of phase, kupo, and that you would have lost interest in joining a clan by now. I saw the guns lying in your room and realized that you were really serious about this."

Miles nodded. "I am. As far as I can tell, everyone else is serious about this too, kupo."

"There's no way I can convince you not to do this, kupo?"

"Probably not," Miles replied with a slight laugh.

"You're as stubborn as I was when I was your age, kupo."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"Well," Alice began, "when I was in Clan Platina, kupo, I would be the one who would find the most challenging missions for us. I always thought that we had the potential for greatness, so I stubbornly accepted every challenge that came our way."

"Did your clan do well?"

"I like to think so. We even competed in some local clan tournaments at one point, but we never won, kupo."

It seemed that talking about Alice's history in the clan wars brightened the mood. Alice was happy in reminiscing, and Miles was fascinated by the stories she had never told him before. It was a sweet bonding moment, one that contrasted the tension when Miles first arrived home.

"Listen, Miles," Alice told him. "If you're going to be a gunner, kupo, then I'll teach you how to use a gun. It's the least I can do to make sure you can do your part for the clan."

Miles' eyes widened and a wide smile formed across his face. "That would be great! Dad told me you were an amazing gunner when he met you, kupo."

"Oh, did he?" she asked questioningly. "He does have a knack for exaggerating things, I suppose. But anyway, we'll start our training today. We only have a few days before your first mission, kupo, so I'll do what I can to prepare you."

_If this is what you really want, Miles, then I'll do whatever I can to help and support you._


	10. Into the Materiwood

Author's Note- Another chapter down, I'm glad I've been able to get a lot more ideas for this story this summer. Hopefully this good streak will last for at least another month.

Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or any related characters, places, objects, etc., nor do I make any money from writing this. The original characters that do appear are of my own creation, however.

**To the Skies**

**Chapter 10- Into the Materiwood**

Yuwain was the first to arrive at the Golden Gil.

It was early in the morning and most clan members were still sleeping or getting ready for the day's work, so only a handful of people were in the pub. Yuwain spotted a sleeping bangaa templar in the corner, a human mage reading through a large tome, and a mog knight eating an unappetizing plate of breakfast. Covered from head to toe in his father's armor, Yuwain sat down and began to wait. He didn't even see Phil behind the counter as he normally was; perhaps the pubkeeper needed sleep as much as the templar.

Within half an hour, two vieras walked in. Yuwain recognized them immediately as the sisters of Clan Aethra.

"Well, looks like we're not the first ones, Katie."

"I'm surprised, considering you rushed us out the door and made us run all the way here."

"You don't want to be late for our first mission, do you?"

"No, but I don't want to lose all my energy before our mission starts either!"

Yuwain greeted the sisters and summoned them to his table. They put down their swords and lied back in the chairs as if they were cushioned seats in Bervenia Palace.

"Ssso, you two ready for today?"

"Of course," Lutia replied, her voice exuding confidence. "We've been practicing our fencing for the past three days just in case we run into some trouble."

"Good to hear." Yuwain had little to worry about Lutia; she had confidence, a fighting spirit, and hopefully, abilities that match her words. "And you, Katie?"

"I'm not really worried," she said halfway through a yawn. "We're just looking for crystals anyway, so hopefully we won't even need to fight anyone."

"Remember, even if we don't engage another clan, we might have to have to protect ourselves from monstersss. It's a foressst, after all."

Katie shrugged. "At least we're going in a group, right? It'll be easier if everyone's going with us."

Frustrated, Yuwain put his hand to his forehead and held back a groan. _If everyone comes with us, huh? That's exactly what I'm worried about._

About half an hour later, Amelia walked into the pub with her bow and arrows at her side. Lutia waved to her and called her over, while Yuwain did not say a word. Katie, unlike the other two, looked like she was trying to sleep with her head down on the table.

"Hope I'm not late," Amelia said while sitting herself down. "Are Miles and Thenardi here yet?"

Yuwain grunted, "Nope. I have no idea where they are."

Amelia quickly glanced at Katie, who hadn't noticed her arrival yet. "Well, it is still rather early in the morning, I suppose."

Surprisingly, shortly after Amelia's arrival, Miles and Thenardi entered together. Both looked refreshed and ready to start their mission.

"Sorry I'm late," Thenardi immediately sat down with everyone and laid out a large piece of parchment on the table. "I was doing some last minute research on the Materiwood and the materite we're looking for."

"Find anything interessssting?" Yuwain asked as he looked over Thenardi's large, slightly faded map. Everyone, including the drowsy Katie, started to crowd over the parchment.

"Nothing much. It seems like materite is usually found at the western edge over here," he explained as he pointed out the area on the map, "so we won't have to go too deep into the forest."

Lutia nodded. "That's good. Sounds like we could get there pretty easily."

"It'll probably be at least a two hour walk," Thenardi continued. "If we follow a straight line northeast to the entrance of the Materiwood, we should reach there before noon."

"Right, kupo," Miles agreed. "We just need to keep up a good pace."

Yuwain added, "The last thing we need isss to be walking with our equipment at high noon."

"There's only one thing to worry about now, kupo."

Katie looked confused. "And what's that?"

"Where's the client?"

"He'sss not here yet," Yuwain replied. "Hisss name isss Raymond, right? A nu mou?"

"I haven't even seen a nu mou since I got here this morning," Lutia scoffed.

They did not have to wait very long. Minutes later, a nu mou walked in, looking from side to side with a scowl on his wrinkling face. He was covered in green robes decorated with small, white stars, and wore worn out walking boots. A pointed, dark green hat crowned his head, and he walked with the assistance of a large, metal rod.

"Clan Aethra!" he yelled. Everyone turned to him, including the templar who was peacefully enjoying his morning nap.

"That's us, kupo!" Miles replied, as he hurried over to the client. His clanmates all got out of their seats and followed Miles.

After looking at each of the clan members individually, Raymond scoffed. "This is Clan Aethra? You're all just a bunch of kids!"

"Nice to meet you too," Lutia mumbled to herself.

"I was told you were a young clan, but this is ridiculous!"

Amelia and Katie flushed, and Yuwain punched Thenardi in the side to stop him from making a sarcastic comment.

"Well, kupo," Miles began, "I'm Miles, and this is-"

"Introductions later," Raymond snapped. "We leave now. I assume you've done some research about the Materiwood and how to get there, hmm?"

"That's right," Thenardi responded. "Most of the materite is located on the western edge, which is easily reachable if we travel in a straight line from here."

"Good, good, I guess I won't need to hold your hands the whole time after all."

"Hey, listen, old man!"

Raymond turned to see Lutia fuming, her eyes shining with raw intensity. Before the viera could say any more, however, her sister smartly stepped in.

"Stop, Lutia. Let's let him say what he needs to say."

"Hmph," Raymond sneered with contempt. "At least it's easy to see which of the two vieras has more sense here."

"We should leave now," Thenardi told them abruptly. "Noon is approaching, and I don't think any of us want to be walking around outside when the sun is at its hottest."

"Fine with me," Lutia replied. Yuwain and Amelia both nodded in agreement.

"Okay, kupo, let's go."

* * *

It was still late morning when the seven left Baguba Port for the Materiwood, but the relentless heat was already getting the best of the small group. Yuwain, covered from his neck down in armor, was sweating and breathing heavily; he carried his helmet on his left hand so his head wouldn't heat up under the metal.

"Are you okay, Yuwain?" Amelia asked him. "That armor must be making you really hot."

Yuwain kept looking forward. "I'm fine. Thisss isss nothing."

Thenardi, garbed in his magic robe from the armory, was lagging behind the rest of them.

"I think I underestimated how hot it is outside."

"Try living in Cadoan during the summer," Raymond spat. "THEN you can complain!"

Miles noticed that Raymond was the least affected by the heat. He had just as much energy as when the clan first met him, and he did not complain about the heat at all. He just kept marching along, like a soldier in the Bervenia military.

"It's too hot," Miles said to himself. "I hope it's cooler by the forest, kupo."

"Somehow, I doubt it," Lutia replied. "The trees will provide some shade from the sun, but the air will probably still be humid."

Miles didn't respond. He thought that talking would make him feel even hotter.

After a few more minutes of relative silence, Katie asked, "How far until we get there?"

"We're about halfway there," Raymond explained. "Are you kids tired?"

"I am," Amelia replied, despite having the lightest clothes on, other than Miles. "I really need a drink of water."

"Then you should have brought water with you," the nu mou replied. "We'll take a short break once we reach the forest. Three minutes should suffice."

Lutia thought she misheard him. "Wait, did you just say 'three minutes'? Give us a little more time to recover, will ya?"

"The sooner we get the materite, the sooner we can all get back to the rest of our lives."

Katie sighed, knowing that arguing with Raymond would not get them anywhere. Her mind started to drift away and she began to daydream.

_Hmm… it would be nice to be in the Kudik Peaks right about now. And the snow must be so pretty…_

"Hey," Amelia turned to Thenardi, "do you think there will be any monsters in the Materiwood? Or other clans?"

"I don't know about other clans, but there are monsters deep inside the forest. We probably won't be going that far into it, though."

Raymond chuckled loudly. "You forgot one thing."

"What's that?"

"In the heat, monsters like going away from the center of the forest. They'll be roaming around the outskirts, probably close to the streams running on the western side."

"So that means we're going to run into monsters in there."

"More than likely, yes."

Thenardi rolled his eyes. "Wonderful."

"Don't worry," Raymond began, "I can handle most of the creatures in there. The worst you'll find are the sprites. If you're not stupid enough to fall for their tricks, then you'll be alright."

Thenardi turned to the nu mou. "I'm sorry. Was that supposed to be reassuring? I couldn't tell."

Miles played the optimist. "He's right, kupo. We just have to be careful. They're just monsters, after all."

Amelia turned a little pale. _Just monsters? I can't tell if Miles is trying to act brave or if he's just naïve._

"Don't underessstimate them."

Lutia scoffed. "A little confidence doesn't hurt anyone, Yuwain."

"Confidence is not the same as arrogance." Yuwain turned to Miles and told him harshly, "You're our leader, Miles, and you should know that this could be our first real engagement. The lassst thing we want is to be injured or killed."

Miles, nervous at Yuwain's sudden seriousness, responded, "The judges, kupo! Don't the judges make sure nobody gets hurt?"

"That's true," Raymond interrupted. "But it doesn't mean you don't feel pain."

Miles didn't respond. The whole clan remained silent the rest of the way.

* * *

The trees that made up the Materiwood stood tall, with golden leaves providing plentiful shade from the sunlight. Golden grass covered much of the ground, and bushes of the same color dotted the pathways ahead. Further ahead, the party could see that the ground sloped upward, providing for some hills and small mountains; yellow vines covered much of the rocky walls.

"This place looks so pretty," Katie said to herself as she waltzed through the flora. "I can't believe this place is right by our home."

"It's not _that_ close," Lutia told her. "It took us over two hours to get here by foot."

Amelia, sitting on a tree stump, nodded. "It would've been nice if we were able to ride some chocobos to get here, don't you think?"

"They're expensive, kupo," replied Miles. "Besides, we're already here. Let's just worry about finding the materite, kupo."

In their own corner, Raymond talked to Thenardi and Yuwain about their quest.

"The most efficient way to do this will be to split up," Thenardi explained. "We'll have one group of four and one group of three. We can cover more ground and find materite faster, but at the same time, we won't be so vulnerable if we encounter monsters."

Yuwain nodded in approval. "What will the teamsss be?"

"Well, I think-"

"My team will be me, Miles, and Yuwain." Raymond sounded as confident and assertive as ever. "The other team will be Thenardi and the girls."

Thenardi gave the nu mou a sharp glance. "They have names, you know."

"I don't remember their names. Besides, you both knew who I was talking about anyway."

Yuwain scratched his head in thought. "Any particular reassson why you want to go with me and Miles?"

"Simple. I want a ranged fighter and a melee fighter to support me if we get into an engagement."

Before the others could respond, Raymond's turned slightly serious. "I need to talk to Miles about this clan of yours. He's the leader, isn't he?"

"That'sss right."

"Well, he certainly doesn't know what he's doing." Raymond looked to Thenardi, and then to Yuwain. "The two of you would both make better leaders than him."

"I appreciate the compliment," Thenardi began, "but I'm glad Miles is leading us. This is his clan after all, and I'm going to help him."

Yuwain shook his head. "You're right. He'sss not the best leader. But none of usss are in a position to go againssst him, and I don't think any of usss want to."

"Fine then," Raymond surrendered with a shrug. "You can follow him all you want, I'm just going to see if I can give him some pointers. They might save your lives in the future."

Yuwain and Thenardi both looked at each other. Their mouths said nothing, but their eyes proclaimed concern.

* * *

"I'll be honest," Lutia said while reclining on the forest floor. "I really needed that break."

"It was a good rest," said Amelia, still on the tree stump, "but I need some more water. I finished my flask on the way here."

Miles pointed to deep within the forest. "Thenardi said that there's a stream nearby, kupo. We can get some more water from there."

"Speaking of Thenardi," Amelia began to look around, "Where is he?"

"And Yuwain and Raymond, kupo," Miles added as he scouted the area.

"And Katie too," Lutia sighed. "Knowing her, she's probably dancing around with the forest spirits or something like that."

"No, I'm not."

The three turned to see Katie, rapier in hand, facing them. "I found a stream right by that hill farther back. And over on the far banks, I saw some shiny blue crystals. It might be the materite."

"Kupo! That was quick!"

"Good work," Lutia told her sister. "But next time, let us know before you wander off somewhere. We don't want anyone separating from the group."

Katie, turning red and getting flustered, replied, "Fine. I didn't intend to go that far anyway, I just wanted to scout a little."

"Hey, is everyone here?"

The four turned and saw that Raymond, Yuwain, and Thenardi had all returned. Yuwain had his full armor on and sword brandished, and Thenardi had his confident grin, which meant he had a plan.

"To find the materite faster, we'll split up into two groups," the mage told everyone. "My team will be me, Lutia, Katie, and Amelia. The other team will be Raymond, Yuwain, and Miles."

Katie couldn't control her excitement. "I found the materite! It's right over there by the stream. We won't even need to split up."

"Wrong."

The young viera's face dropped when Raymond shot her down.

"We're splitting up because the stream is not the only place to get materite. There's more inside the caves by those hills."

"Where is each team going, kupo?"

Raymond turned to Miles. "We're going inside the caves. The other team can go to the stream."

Amelia raised her hand. "What should we do after we get the materite?"

"Why are you raising your hand? This isn't a schoolhouse!"

Once Amelia shyly dropped her hand, Raymond continued. "We'll meet back here at the entrance after one hour. Get as much of the materite as you can. I'd prefer if you get bigger chunks of it, it'll be easier for me to work with."

"What do you need the materite for anyway?" Lutia asked.

"That's none of your business," he replied, resulting in an angry scowl from the fiery viera.

_I don't care how wise or powerful this guy is. I want to punch him!_

"What if someone attacks us?" Katie asked hesitantly. "Monsters, or even another clan?"

"You have to know how to assess the situation. If you don't think you can take them, try to avoid fighting. If it's a clan, then try and negotiate with them, but if they're monsters, just run for it. I don't want you kids dying on me in the middle of a mission."

Miles and Amelia both looked uneasy after Raymond mentioned death so casually.

_It was probably a joke, or some morbid sense of humor,_ Miles thought._ As long as I call a judge, we'll be fine._

"Any other questions?"

The six clan members all looked at each other. Nobody said another word, and they all turned to Raymond.

"Alright then, let's split up. Yuwain, you remember the cave I showed you on the map?"

"Yesss, I remember."

"Good. You can start heading to that cave. I'll catch up, but first, I have to check something."

"Do you need help, kupo?"

"No! Just go already!"

"R-right!"

The two teams quickly separated, leaving Raymond alone in the middle of the forest entrance. The nu mou looked all around him, and checked in the trees. His eyes came to a stop once they crossed over foliage on top of a nearby hill.

Raymond saw what Clan Aethra had failed to see.

_They're here. Looks like everything is going accordingly._


End file.
